New  Si\idies  ii\  Acts 


Edward  I.  BoswortK 


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NEW  STUDIES 
IN  ACTS 


V 

EDWARD  I.'BOSWORTH 

Dean  of  Oberlin  Theological  Seminary 


ASSOCIATION    PRESS 

Nbw    York:    347   Madison    Avbnub 
1919 


Copyright,  1908, 

THE  INTERNATIONAL  COMMITTEE  OF  YOUNG  MEN'S 

CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


Table  of  Contents 


PAGE 

Introductory  Note  on  the  Author  of  the  Book  of  Acts ix 

PART   I 

The  Messianic  Church  Is  Established  in  Jerusalem  Through 
THE  Testimony  of  Disciples  of  Jesus  Empowered  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  in  Spite  of  the  Opposition  of  the  Jewish  Priests. 
1 : 1—6 :  7 

Study  I. — General  Survey  of  the  Book  of  Acts,  and  Jesus'  Pro- 
gram for  the  Messianic  Movement.    Chapter  i 3 

Study  II. — The  Empowering  of  the  Witnesses  and  the  First 
Testimony.    Chapter  2 lo 

Study  III. — The  Failure  of  the  Priests  in  Their  Effort  to  Stop 
the  Testimony.    Chapters  3:  1-4:  31 17 

Study  IV. — The  Movement  Is  Firmly  Established  in  Jerusalem. 
Chapters  4:32 — 6:7 24 

PART   II 

The  Witnesses  Begin  to  Move  Out  from  Jerusalem  Toward 

Foreigners.    6 :  8 — 9 :  31 
Study  V.— The  Witness,  Stephen,  Is  Killed.    6 :  8—7 :  60 33 

Study  VI. — Persecution  Scatters  the  Witnesses  Throughout  Ju- 
daea and  Samaria.    8:1-40 40 

Study  VII.— Jesus  Selects  a  Great  Witness  for  the  Foreign 
World.    9:1-31 47 

PART   III 

The  Testimony  Is  Borne  by  God's  Direction  for  the  First  Time 
to  Jehovah- Worshiping   Foreigners.     9:32 — 12:24 

Study  VIII. — ^Jehovah-Worshiping  Foreigners  in  Caesarea  Re- 
ceive the  Testimony.    9 :  32 — 11 :  18 57 

Study  IX.— A  New  Christian  Center  Among  Foreigners  in 
Syrian  Antioch  and  a  Startling  Demonstration  in  the  Old 
Center.    11:19—12:24 64 


VI  CONTENTS 

PART  IV 

The  Testimony  Is  Borne  for  the  First  Time  to  Foreigners 

That  Have  no  Connection   with  the  Jewish   Synagogue. 

12 :  25—16 :  5 
Study  X. — In  South  Galatia  Paul  and  Barnabas  Learn  That 

Pagan  Gentiles  May  Accept  the  Testimony.     12 :  25 — 14 :  20.     73 
Study  XL — The  Jerusalem  Church  Endorses  the  New  Work 

Among  Gentiles.    14:21—16:5 80 

PART   V 

The  Testimony  Is  Carried  to  Gentiles  in  the  Roman  Provinces, 
Macedonia,  Achaia  and  Asia  by  Paul  and  His  Associates 
Under  the  Guidance  of  God  and  in  Spite  of  Jewish  Oppo- 
sition.   16 :  6 — 19 :  20. 

Study  XII. — Paul  and  His  Associates  Carry  the  Testimony  into 
Macedonia.     16:6 — 17:15 9' 

Study  XIII. — Paul  and  His  Associates  Carry  the  Testimony 
into  Achaia.     17:16 — 18:18 98 

Study  XIV. — Paul  and  His  Associates  Carry  the  Testimony 
into  Asia.     18:19 — 19:20 105 

PART   VI 

The  Testimony  Finally  Established  by  Paul  Under  God's  Di- 
rection IN  Rome,  the  Center  of  the  Gentile  World,  in  Spite 
of  Fierce  Jewish  Opposition.    19:21 — ^28:31. 

Study  XV. — Paul  Closes  His  Asiatic  Work  and  Starts  for  Jeru- 
salem by  Way  of  Macedonia  and  Achaia.    19:  21 — 20:  5. .. .   115 

Study  XVI. — After  Many  Warnings  on  the  Way,  Paul  Faces 
Death  in  Jerusalem.    20 :  6—22 :  22 122 

Study  XVII. — After  Two  Years  of  Suspense  in  Prison,  Paul 
Appeals  to  the  Emperor.    22:23 — 25:12 129 

Study  XVIII. — A  Last  Famous  Testimony  in  Caesarea  and  a 
Perilous  Voyage  to  Rome.    25:13—28:16 136 

Study  XIX.—The  Testimony  Finally  Established  in  the  Capital 
p£  the  World.   28 :  17-31 ....••  • ••  •  •  *  143 


PREFACE 

These  "New  Studies  in  Acts"  replace  those  published  ten  years 
ago  in  a  book  called  "Studies  in  the  Acts  and  Epistles."  The  detailed 
treatment  of  the  Epistles  which  constituted  so  large  a  part  of  the 
earlier  book  is  omitted.  A  few  pages  of  the  treatment  of  Acts,  of 
the  Epistle  of  James,  and  some  "Personal  Thoughts,"  found  in  the 
earlier  book  reappear  here.  But  with  these  slight  exceptions  the 
book  is  entirely  rewritten.  I  have  used  here  and  there  considerable 
matter  which  I  prepared  during  the  years  1901-3  for  a  series  of 
Studies  in  Acts  published  in  the  columns  of  "The  Congregationalist 
and  Christian  World." 

Oberlin,  Ohio,  August  i,  1908. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  ON  THE  AUTHOR 
OF  THE  BOOK  OF  ACTS 

In  his  opening  sentence  the  author  speaks  of  an  earlier  work 
which  he  had  dedicated  to  the  friend  referred  to  here.  The  occur- 
rence of  the  name  Theophilus  in  our  third  Gospel  (Luke  i  :  1-4) 
identifies  that  Gospel  as  this  earlier  work.  According  to  the  early- 
tradition  of  the  church,  as  it  appears  in  the  period  160-200  A.D., 
the  author's  name  was  Luke.  A  man  named  Luke  ("Loukas")  is 
mentioned  three  times  in  the  New  Testament  among  the  compan- 
ions of  the  great  missionary  apostle,  Paul.  It  appears  from  Paul's 
letter  to  the  Colossians  (4 :  14)  that  he  was  a  physician.  Probably 
Paul  at  times  availed  himself  of  his  professional  services.  Colos- 
sians 4:  II  seems  to  show  that  Luke  was  not  a  Jew.  That  he  did 
missionary  work  in  addition  to  the  practice  of  his  profession  is  in- 
dicated by  Paul's  letter  to  Philemon  (v.  24).  He  was  also  with 
Paul  in  prison  during  the  last  months  of  Paul's  life  (2  Timothy 
4:6,  II). 

The  occurrence  of  the  pronoun  "we"  in  certain  sections  of  the 
book  of  Acts  probably  shows  that  Luke  was  with  Paul  during  the 
periods  covered  by  these  sections.  If  so,  he  joined  him  at  a  seaport 
in  Asia  Minor  (16:10),  went  with  him  to  Philippi  in  Macedonia 
(16:  17),  but  no  further  (17:  i).  Some  years  later  he  rejoined  Paul 
at  Philippi  (20:6),  went  with  him  to  Jerusalem  (21:  17),  probably 
stayed  in  Palestine  for  the  next  two  years  (24:27),  and  certainly 
accompanied  Paul  on  the  perilous  voyage  to  Rome  (27:  i ;  28:  7,  16). 
According  to  one  important  manuscript  Acts  11:28  reads:  "As  we 
were  gathered  together  one  of  them,  Agabus  by  name,"  etc.  If  this 
reading  is  followed,  Luke  was  with  Paul  in  Syrian  Antioch. 

Luke's  connection  with  Paul  and  his  friends  gave  him  unusual 
opportunity  for  gathering  information  regarding  incidents  with  which 
he  was  not  himself  personally  connected.  He  met  men  who  were 
familiar  with  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  movement  in  Jerusalem ; 
e.  g.,  Barnabas  (11:28,  according  to  the  reading  cited  above); 
Mnason,  an  early  disciple  (21 :  16)  ;  James,  the  brother  of  Jesus 
(21 .  18)  ;  Silas,  a  Jerusalem  man  (16: 19;  15 :  22)  ;  John  Mark,  who 


X  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

was  a  Jerusalem  boy,  the  son  of  a  prominent  woman  in  the  Jeru- 
salem church  and  well  acquainted  with  Peter  (Col.  4:  10,  14;  Acts 
12:11-12).  In  addition  Luke  probably  spent  the  two  years  of 
Paul's  imprisonment  in  Csesarea  (24:  27),  making  investigations.  He 
would  have  had  opportunity  in  Caesarea  to  consult  those  who  were 
concerned  with  the  remarkable  experience  in  the  Roman  captain's 
parlor  described  in  chapter  10.  Philip,  the  evangelist,  in  whose 
home  he  lodged  (21 :  8)  could  have  given  him  first-hand  informa- 
tion about  the  work  among  the  Samaritans  and  his  famous  ride  with 
the  Abyssinian  chancellor,  described  in  chapter  8.  Paul  himself 
could  have  given  him  details  about  the  trial  and  death  of  Stephen, 
for  he  was  himself  present  at  the  trial  and  at  the  execution  (7:  58). 
The  extent  to  which  the  author  made  use  of  written  sources  in 
producing  the  book  of  Acts  is  too  technical  a  question  to  be  dis- 
cussed here. 


PART  I 

THE  MESSIANIC  CHURCH  IS  ESTABLISHED  IN  JERU- 
SALEM THROUGH  THE  TESTIMONY  OF  DISCIPLES 
OF  JESUS  EMPOWERED  BY  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT,  IN 
SPITE  OF  THE  OPPOSITION  OF  THE  JEWISH 
PRIESTS.    I ;  I— 6:7. 

Study  I. — General  Survey  of  the  Book  of  Acts,  and  Jesus'  Pro- 
gram for  the  Messianic  Movement.    Chapter  i. 

Study  II. — The  Empowering  of  the  Witnesses  and  the  First  Tes- 
timony.   Chapter  2. 

Study  III.— The  Failure  of  the  Priests  in  Their  Effort  to  Stop 
the  Testimony.     3:1 — 4:31. 

Study  IV. — The  Movement  Is  Firmly  Established  in  Jerusalem. 
4:32—6:7. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  3 

Study  I. — (Stntvnl  ^urtjep  of  t^t  ^ooli  of  ^tte,  anH  ^tunsi* 
JProffram  for  t^t  fSitnnimit  JHobment.    1:1-26 

First  Day  :    The  Author  and  His  Friend,     i  :  1-2 

Read  the  "Introductory  Note  on  the  Author  of  the  Book  of  Acts." 
Theophilus  is  addressed  in  Luke  i :  3  as  "most  excellent  Theo- 
philus."  Perhaps  he  was  a  gentleman  of  some  rank,  for  the  same 
adjective  is  applied  to  the  Roman  procurators,  Felix  and  Festus 
(Acts  2^:26;  26:25).  At  the  time  when  Luke's  Gospel  was  writ- 
ten Theophilus  had  perhaps  just  finished  a  course  of  instruction 
preparing  him  for  church  membership  (Luke  1:4).  If  so,  he  is 
now  a  full  member  and  perhaps  for  that  reason  no  longer  ad- 
dressed by  the  formal  title,  "most  excellent."  (Zahn.) 

"All  that  Jesus  began  both  to  do  and  to  teach"  (1:1).    "We  start 

then  from  this  position.   The  person  of  Christ  is  the  explanation  of 

Christianity,  its  first  cause,  its  perennial  inspiration,  its  imperishable 

ideal.    In  Him  our  religion  was  first  realized,  and  by  Him  created." 

Fairbairn  :  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Christ. 


4  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  I. — (General  S>ttrbep  of  tl^e  ^ook  of  9itt&,  kxCH  ^tum' 
|)rQ^am  for  tl^e  fSittmUnit  jHobement*    1:1-2$ 

Second  Day:    The  Author's  Main  Idea 

The  author's  principal  purpose  is  evidently  not  to  give  an  account 
of  the  acts  of  all  the  apostles,  for  he  pays  little  attention  to  any  ex- 
cept Peter  and  Paul.  Neither  is  it  his  purpose  to  give  an  account 
of  the  extension  of  the  church  throughout  all  the  world,  for  he  does 
not  follow  its  growth  in  all  directions  from  Jerusalem.  He  simply 
shows  how  Christianity  ceased  to  be  a  Jewish  sect  and  became  a 
world  religion.  He  shows,  step  by  step,  how  it  became  evident  that 
God  meant  foreigners,  as  well  as  Jews,  to  become  Christians.  The 
movement  begins  in  Jerusalem,  the  Jewish  capital,  and  ends  in  Rome, 
the  world  capital.  Three  things  are  always  in  his  mind  as  he  traces 
the  development  of  the  Jewish  sect  into  a  universal  religion:  (i) 
The  fact  that  this  new  faith  was  propagated  through  the  testimony 
of  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  (2)  constantly  instigated  and  endorsed  by 
God,  and  (3)  in  spite  of  the  bitter  opposition  of  the  Jews.  Read 
Acts  1 : 8,  which  forecasts  the  main  trend  of  the  book.  Read  also 
the  climax  of  the  history  as  it  appears  in  Acts  28:23-31,  noticing 
the  emphasis  laid  on  testimony,  lewish  opposition,  Gentile  respon- 
siveness, and  the  plan  of  God.  The  author  may  have  had  more  than 
one  purpose  in  mind,  as  will  be  noted  later.  His  motive  is  pre- 
sumably that  stated  in  his  preface  to  his  first  volume.    Luke  i :  1-4. 

God  is  steadily  present  in  the  life  of  the  world.  He  is  kindling 
high  aspirations  in  the  hearts  of  responsive  men  to-day  as  really  as 
He  kindled  them  in  the  hearts  of  Peter  and  PauL 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  5 

Study  I.— (General  Ifcttrbep  of  tje  ^ook  of  TLttsi,  antr  ^tant,' 
pro-am  for  tl)e  Jftedtfianic  ;|itQ\iement«    t:l»2d 

Third  Day:    The  Book  in  Outline 

"The  picture  is  cut  up,  as  it  were,  into  six  panels,  each  labeled 
with  a  general  summary  of  progress"  (Turner,  Hastings'  Dictionary 
of  the  Bible,  vol.  I,  p.  421).  Note  these  five  seams  which  divide  the 
book  into  its  six  parts,  and  that  in  each  case  progress  is  summarized ; 
6:7;  9:31;  12:24;  16:5;  19:20. 

Read  only  the  special  references  given  at  the  end  of  each  para- 
graph below. 

Part  I.  1 : 1—6 : 7.  The  Messianic  church  is  established  in  Jeru- 
salem through  the  testimony  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus  empowered  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  Jewish  priests. 
Read  1:8;  2 :  32 ;  4:1;  5:17;  6:7. 

Part  II.  6 :  8 — 9 :  31.  The  witnesses  begin  to  move  out  from  Jeru- 
salem toward  foreigners.    Read  8:1;  9:15;  9:31. 

Part  III.  9 :  32 — 12 :  24.  The  testimony  is  borne  by  God's  direc- 
tion for  the  first  time  to  Jehovah-worshiping  foreigners.  Read 
10: 1-5,  44-47;  11:20-21. 

Part  IV.  12 :  25 — 16 :  5.  The  testimony  is  borne  for  the  first  time 
to  foreigners  that  have  no  connection  with  the  Jewish  synagogue. 
Read  13 :  2,  46-48;  15 :  19-21. 

Part  V.  16 :  6 — 19 :  20.  The  testimony  is  carried  to  Gentiles  in 
the  Roman  provinces,  Macedonia,  Achaia  and  Asia,  by  Paul  and  his 
associates,  under  the  guidance  of  God  and  in  spite  of  Jewish  oppo- 
sition.   Read  16 :  10 ;  17:15;  19 :  10,  21 ;  17:5;  18 :  12. 

Part  VI.  19:21 — ^28:31.  The  testimony  finally  established  by 
Paul  under  God's  direction  in  Rome,  the  center  of  the  Gentile 
world,  in  spite  of  fierce  Jewish  opposition.  Read  21 :  27,  31-33  J 
23 :  II ;  25 :  12 ;  28 :  16,  30-31. 

Christianity  is  more  than  a  scheme  for  saving  an  individual  soul. 
It  is  a  great  world  movement  inspired  by  Jesus  Christ,  with  which 
men  are  called  upon  to  identify  themselves  unreservedl^r  and  with 
sense  of  exhilaration. 


6  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  I.— (General  Jfeurtorp  of  tl)e  ^oolt  of  9[ct6,  anU  ^^fittfi* 
JJroffram  for  tl^e  JHeggtanic  Jlobement.     l:\26 

Fourth  Day  :    The  Revival  of  a  Great  Hope.    1:1-5 

Read  i :  1-5.  The  dominant  idea  of  Jesus*  teaching  had  been 
what  the  Jews  commonly  called  "the  Kingdom  of  God."  Jesus 
had  represented  it  to  be  a  world-civilization  in  which  every  man 
would  be  a  true  son  of  the  Heavenly  Father  and  a  true  brother 
to  his  fellow  men.  The  priests  and  rabbis,  the  ecclesiastical 
"machine,"  had  found  Jesus  interfering  with  the  realization  of 
their  ambitions  and  had  consequently  killed  Him.  The  death  of 
Jesus  had  been  followed  by  a  "resurrection."  His  death  had  been 
the  death  of  the  hope  of  His  disciples,  and  His  resurrection  had 
been  its  revival.  During  the  six  weeks  immediately  following  His 
resurrection,  when  He  occasionally  had  interviews  with  them,  He 
was  constantly  talking  about  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Read  v.  3. 
He  had  unabated  confidence  in  the  practicability  of  His  vision.  At 
the  end  of  about  six  weeks  He  met  them  in  Jerusalem  and  told 
them  not  to  leave  the  city  until  a  certain  mysteriously  significant 
event  should  occur. 

Read  Acts  1:4-5  and  also  the  author's  reference  to  this  event 
in  his  first  volume,  Luke  24 :  48-49,  Some  of  Jesus'  disciples  had 
earlier  been  disciples  of  the  famous  prophet  in  the  wilderness, 
John  the  Baptist.  John  had  appealed  to  all  of  his  countrymen 
who  regarded  the  New  Order,  "The  Kingdom  of  God,"  as  immi- 
nent, to  indicate  their  penitent  aspiration  for  moral  purity  by  be- 
ing baptized  with  water.  Such  a  ceremony  had  long  been  cus- 
tomary in  the  case  of  foreigners  who  wished  to  become  Jews,  but 
John  asked  all  of  his  own  countrymen  to  engage  in  the  ceremony. 
He  spoke  of  it,  however,  as  something  secondary  and  simply  pre- 
liminary to  a  higher  experience  which  the  Messiah  would  afford 
them  when  He  should  appear.  Read  Luke  3 :  16.  The  Messiah 
would  purify  not  their  bodies,  but  their  spirits.  John  had  died  with- 
out seeing  his  expectation  realized,  but  Jesus  now  assures  His  dis- 
ciples that  the  long-expected  mysterious  event  is  not  far  distant. 

The  undying  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  is  irrevocably  committed  ta 
the  establishment  of  a  civilization  of  brotherly  men  on  the  earth.  He 
keeps  the  idea  in  the  minds  of  men.  After  nineteen  centuries  men 
are  still  with  confident  hope  "speaking  the  things  concerning  the 
Kingdom  of  God." 


'NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  7 

Study  I.— General  ^urbep  of  t^e  ^ooli  of  ^tcttf,  anU  Jeaus* 
Program  for  t^e  fSitseimit  fSltt\tmtnU    1:1-26 

Fifth  Day  :   Jesus'  Program  a  Campaign  of  Testimony. 

1:6-11 

Read  i :  6-9.  The  disciples  of  Jesus  evidently  share  the  current 
Jewish  conception  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  In  general  it  was  ex- 
pected that  the  Kingdom  would  be  a  political  state,  composed  of 
pious  Jews  living  according  to  the  law  of  Moses,  over  which  the 
Messiah  would  reign  with  Jerusalem  as  His  capital,  and  subject  to 
which  in  some  indefinite  relation  would  be  the  other  nations  of  the 
earth.  The  disciples  inquire  whether  the  promised  "baptism  with 
the  Holy  Spirit,"  so  soon  to  occur  (v.  s),  will  mark  the  time  when 
Jesus  will  make  His  long-expected  Messianic  demonstration  and  in- 
augurate the  New  Kingdom.  Jesus  says  the  date  of  the  Messianic 
demonstration  is  God's  secret.    Read  v.  7.    See  also  Mark  13 :  32. 

The  disciples  have  long  had  an  ambitious  dream  of  **power," 
wanting  to  be  the  chief  officials  in  the  new  empire.  See  Mark  9 :  34  J 
10 :  35-37.  Jesus,  who  sees  that  their  minds  are  still  full  of  this  vain 
dream,  says  with  quiet  humor  that  they  will  soon  receive  "power," 
although  not  the  kind  of  power  they  have  anticipated,  nor  to  be 
used  for  the  purposes  they  have  in  mind. 

Then  Jesus  lays  before  them  the  program  of  His  Messianic  move- 
ment :  Men  empowered  by  the  Spirit  of  God  are  to  start  from  Jeru- 
salem and  make  conquest  of  the  world  by  a  campaign  of  testimony. 
The  civilization  of  brotherly  men  can  be  established  if  disciples  of 
Jesus  in  fellowship  with  the  Spirit  of  their  living  Lord  give  report 
in  word  and  deed  of  their  experience  with  Jesus.  To  what  were 
these  original  disciples  to  bear  witness?  To  what  does  a  modern 
disciple  bear  witness? 

Read  vv.  9-1 1.  What  would  Peter  have  said  if  some  one  had 
asked  him  how  soon  he  expected  Jesus  to  return  and  inaugurate  His 
Kingdom? 

Have  you  ever  heartily  accepted  the  "program"  laid  out  by  Jesus 
for  the  movement  to  which  you  belong?  If  the  most  profound  pur- 
pose of  one's  life  constitutes  his  real  testimony,  what  message  is 
unconsciously  sounding  out  from  your  life? 


8  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  I. — (General  Surbep  of  tl^t  -^Sooli  of  ^ctd,  anK  ^t&uti* 
JJroffram  for  t^t  JHefifiianic  iHobcmcnt.    I: I --2a 

Sixth  Day:    The  Witnesses.    1:12-14 

Read  i :  12-14.  This  group  of  men  from  the  northern  province 
occupy  a  single  room  where  they  may  unroll  their  sleeping-rugs  at 
night  with  less  expense  than  would  have  been  involved  in  an  ar- 
rangement securing  greater  privacy.  The  composition  of  the  group 
is  interesting.  Among  them  are  several  business  men,  including  a 
customs  collector  and  four  fish-packers.  Read  Mark  i :  16-20.  Two 
men  in  the  group  hold  bitterly  hostile  political  opinions,  Simon  the 
Zealot  and  Matthew  the  Publican.  Jesus'  four  brothers,  finally 
convinced  of  His  Messiahship,  are  there.  Read  John  7:5;  Mark 
6:4  and  3:21,  31.  From  time  to  time  some  of  the  women  whom 
Luke  has  mentioned  earlier  (Luke  8:1-3;  23:49,  55)  meet  with 
them;  probably  also  Lazarus  and  his  two  sisters,  and  the  two  sen- 
ators mentioned  in  John  19 :  38-42 ;  Luke  23 :  50.  Glance  at  Luke 
18 :  35 — 19 :  10  for  an  account  of  the  capitalist  and  the  beggar  who 
probably  irequently  journeyed  together  over  the  fifteen  miles  of  road 
between  their  home  and  Jerusalem  to  meet  with  the  group.  Perhaps 
also  the  ostracised  man  mentioned  in  John  9 :  34-39  found  congenial 
refuge  here.  They  all  had  one  thing  in  common,  namely,  that  each 
had  in  some  way  come  into  contact  with  Jesus. 

What  was  the  substance  of  their  prayers?  They  were  full  of  en- 
thusiasm (Luke  24:51-52).  What  was  the  cause  of  it?  That  is, 
what  new  ideas  had  entered  their  minds  in  the  weeks  since  the  exe- 
cution of  Jesus  ? 

Powerful  spiritual  forces  are  arranged  with  reference  to  making 
a  bit  of  weak  human  testimony  produce  astounding  results,  just  as 
physical  forces  may  be  so  arranged  that  slight  pressure  on  an  elec- 
tric button  will  clear  a  channel  of  its  rocks  and  open  a  pathway 
for  a  great  ship  into  the  ocean.  An  honest  report  of  the  re- 
sults of  believing  in  Jesus,  the  unseen  but  living  Lord,  published  by 
a  heterogeneous  company  of  experimenters  in  the  laboratory  of 
personal  life  will  establish  the  civilization  of  brotherly  men  in  the 
earth. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  g 

Study  l.—(3tntxal  ^urbep  of  t!)e  ^oofe  of  Stctg,  anti  ^T^gua' 
Program  for  t\it  ^tssi^nic  fSi(i)atmtnU    X:l'20 

Seventh   Day;     The   Selection  of  a  New   Witness. 

1 :  15-26 

Read  1:15-26.  In  this  period  of  waiting  for  the  important  ex- 
perience which  is  to  be  the  signal  for  some  decisive  forward  move- 
ment (1:4-5)  the  eleven  apostles  feel  moved  to  fill  the  gap  in  their 
circle  occasioned  by  the  defection  of  Judas.  Originally  they  had 
thought  of  themselves  as  the  twelve  chieftains  who  would  stand,  each 
at  the  head  of  a  tribe,  when  the  old  tribal  organization  of  the  people 
should  be  restored  by  the  Messiah.  Read  Matt.  19 :  28  and  Acts  i :  6. 
Just  what  is  now  before  them  they  do  not  know,  but  it  seems  to 
them  important  that  the  circle  of  twelve  be  kept  complete. 

Were  ther^  more  than  120  believers  elsewhere?  Read  i  Cor.  15 :  6. 
The  dominant  idea  in  their  minds  is  the  new,  exhilarating  thought 
that  the  death  of  the  Messiah  in  a  form  so  revolting  to  the  Jewish 
mind  (Gal.  3:13),  and  the  horrible  act  of  Judas  in  betraying  a 
table  companion  (Mark  14:  18),  do  not  indicate  the  defeat  of  God, 
but  are  rather  foreseen  steps  toward  Messianic  victory.  For  an  ex- 
planation of  their  feeling  see  Luke  24:  27,  44-46.  Vv.  18-19,  and  per- 
haps v.  20  also,  are  a  parenthetical  comment  by  the  author,  and  not 
a  part  of  Peter's  address  to  the  "Brothers." 

What  were  the  qualifications  requisite  for  apostleship,  and  what 
was  the  function  of  apostleship?  Evidently  there  was  a  considera- 
ble number  of  ehgible  candidates.  To  whom  do  they  pray  in  v.  24? 
The  phrase,  "who  knowest  the  hearts  of  all  men,"  naturally  seems  to 
describe  Jehovah.  On  the  other  hand,  Jesus  was  the  one  who  had 
appointed  the  apostles  (1:2). 

God  is  slowly  and  surely  carrying  out  a  great  plan  for  the  better- 
ment of  men.  Any  small  contribution  that  you  may  be  able  to  make 
to-day  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  plan  will  not  be  frittered  away 
for  lack  of  competent  oversight.  The  Lord  of  the  enterprise  is  He 
who  had  the  fragments  gathered  up  "that  nothing  be  lost"  (John 
6:x2). 


lo  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 


Study  U.—dlU  ^mpotoerinff  of  tl^e  Wiinzmti  auK  ti)e  iFiMt 
Cefitimonp.    2:1 -47 

First  Day  :    The  Witnesses,  Empowered  by  the  Spirit 
Become  Testifying   Prophets.    2;i-2i 

Seven  weeks  after  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  came  the  "fiftieth-day 
feast/'  when  thanks  were  given  for  the  completed  harvest  and  when, 
according  to  the  Talmud,  the  giving  of  the  law  on  Mt.  Sinai  was 
commemorated.  At  an  early  morning  (v.  15)  meeting  of  the 
"Brothers"  something  occurred  which  was  ever  after  a  memorable 
event  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  It  was  an  outbreak  of  prophecy. 
Read  carefully  vv.  17-18,  which  shows  that  this  experience  was  so 
regarded. 

At  certain  periods  in  Jewish  history  groups  of  prophets  had  been 
a  familiar  phenomenon.  Their  distinguishing  characteristic  was  not 
the  power  to  foretell  future  events,  though  this  power  they  some- 
times exercised.  The  best  of  them  were  great  preachers  of  righteous- 
ness, like  John  the  Baptist,  whom  Jesus  regarded  as  unsurpassed  by 
any  of  his  predecessors  (Luke  7:26-28).  Many  were  less  gifted 
than  the  great  prophets.  The  prophetic  power  of  such  seems  to  have 
consisted  in  ecstatic  experiences,  in  which  they  saw  visions  or  ut- 
tered unintelligible  ejaculations,  chanted  to  the  accompaniment  of 
musical  instruments,  or  in  other  ways  behaved  strangely  under  the 
influence  of  a  divine  spirit.  Note  the  reference  to  "visions"  and 
"dreams"  in  v.  17,  and  to  queer  behavior  in  v.  13.  Especially  read 
in  the  Old  Testament  I  Samuel  10:5-13.  Such  spontaneous  out- 
breaks had  not  been  characteristic  of  the  formal,  didactic  spirit  of 
Pharisaism  and  the  synagogue;  but  now,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
new  Messianic  movement,  there  is  a  remarkable  outbreak  of  pro- 
phetic inspiration.  Such  a  phenomenon  was  expected  to  occur  at  the 
end  of  the  age,  in  "the  last  days"  before  the  Messianic  judgment 
and  the  inauguration  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  It  was  to  be  confined 
not  to  a  few  select  classes,  as  in  earlier  days,  but  was  to  be  wide- 
spread and  to  include  young  and  old,  men  and  women,  even  male 
and  female  slaves.    Read  carefully  vv.  16-21. 

We  live  in  the  midst  of  the  mystery  of  the  influence  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  upon  the  spirits  of  men.  The  constant  miracle  of  the  pres- 
ence of  God  is  being  wrought  in  our  lives.  If  we  can  increasingly 
discover  the  way  to  avail  ourselves  of  it  our  lives  gain  in  strength 
and  steadiness. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  ii 

Study  II.— C^e  empotoeriaff  of  t|e  Witntwti  anti  tje  iFirgt 

Second  Day:  The  Incidental  Phenomena  Connected 
WITH  the  Great  Experience.    2:1-13 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  sacred  day,  when  the  Twelve  and 
their  associates  were  together,  presumably  for  prayer,  they  suddenly 
became  aware  that  their  invisible  Lord  was  making  His  first  com- 
munication to  them.  An  experience  began  which  they  regarded  as 
proof  that  He  was  at  the  center  of  power  and  had  remembered  His 
disciples.  Read  2 :  33.  They  heard  a  sound  coming  from  the  direc- 
tion in  which  they  had  last  seen  Him  go.  Read  2 : 2  and  i :  10.  The 
sound  resembled  that  of  a  gale  of  wind,  though  the  air  in  the  room 
was  undisturbed.  At  the  same  time  something  that  appeared  like 
fiery,  electric  tongues  of  flame  played  about  the  person  of  each  mem- 
ber of  the  group.  Exhilaration  of  spirit  producing  excited  behavior 
(2:13)  and  ejaculations  of  praise  (2:11)  accompanied  these  phe- 
nomena of  sight  and  sound.  The  sound  seems  to  have  been  heard 
by  the  crowds  that  filled  the  streets  on  their  way  to  the  temple,  and 
was  traced  to  this  house  (2:2)  and  to  this  group.  Then  the  group 
seems  to  have  gone  with  the  crowd  to  the  temple  colonnades,  where 
was  ample  room  for  the  thousands  who  heard  the  first  testimony. 

What  would  these  phenomena  have  naturally  suggested  to  the 
Jewish  minds  of  these  new-born  prophets?  Perhaps  the  rushing 
wind  suggested  the  power  of  an  invisible  agency,  the  fire  a  purify- 
ing influence,  and  the  tongues  the  testimony.  Another  of  the  inci- 
dental phenomena  was  the  so-called  "gift  of  tongues."  These  Gali- 
lean Jews,  who  could  speak  only  the  Aramaic  dialect  of  Hebrew,  or 
at  most  also  some  Greek  and  a  little  Latin,  were  understood  by  the 
crowds  to  be  speaking  other  languages.  What  they  were  under- 
stood to  be  saying  seems  to  have  been  comparatively  simple  ascrip- 
tions of  praise  to  God.  Read  v.  11.  Perhaps  the  presence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  produced  unusual  psychic  conditions,  in  which  thought 
was  conveyed  from  one  mind  to  another  in  unusual  ways.  Certainly 
the  easily  abused  **gift  of  tongues,"  described  in  i  Cor.  14  (espe- 
cially V.  19),  seems  to  have  consisted  in  the  utterance  of  incoherent 
ejaculations,  and  not  in  the  use  of  foreign  languages. 

It  is  the  vital  experience  of  fellowship  with  God,  and  not  its  in- 
cidental and  varying  physical  efiectSi  that  is  of  enduiing  value* 


12  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  II.— CTjie  (^mpotoertriff  of  t\it  WiUitstitti  anti  tje  Jir«t 
Cefittmonp.    2:1-47 

Third  Day:    The  Purpose  of  the  Experience.    2: 1-14 

The  purpose  of  this  unusual  experience  is  evidently  to  be  sought 
in  its  connection  with  the  great  campaign  of  testimony  in  which 
these  witnesses  were  to  engage.  Read  Luke  24 :  47-49.  It  was  to 
give  them  power  to  lead  out  effectively  in  this  long  campaign.  One 
cannot  escape  the  impression  that  the  author,  as  he  sees  represen- 
tatives from  so  many  parts  of  the  world  hearing  the  first  testimony, 
thinks  of  this  occasion  as  a  miniature  evangelization  of  the  world  at 
the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  prophetic  of  its  ultimate  success  on 
the  large  scale  outlined  in  1:8.  Read  vv.  8-11.  Notice  the  signifi- 
cant phrase  in  v.  5.    Of  course  they  are  still  all  Jews. 

The  Spirit  of  God  is  not  conceived  by  Luke  to  manifest  His  pres- 
ence in  the  world  now  for  the  first  time  (cf.  i:  16).  Two  things, 
however,  are  now  new:  (i)  That  which  a  few  men  had  enjoyed  in 
past  generations  is  henceforth  to  be  the  common  experience  of  all 
the  disciples  of  Jesus.  It  is  for  "all  flesh,"  even  bond-slaves  (vv. 
17-18)  ;  (2)  the  Spirit  of  God  now  manifests  Himself  in  the  lives 
of  men  for  a  new  purpose,  namely,  to  empower  men  to  make  an 
effective  report  of  their  personal  experience  with  Jesus  in  the  great 
campaign  of  testimony  for  the  establishment  of  the  Lordship  of 
Jesus.  In  preparation  for  to-morrow's  study,  consider  this  ques- 
tion: What  is  there  in  the  nature  of  such  an  experience  that  tends 
to  make  men  effective  witnesses? 

The  purpose  of  this  experience  was  not  simply  to  make  effective 
public  speakers.  If  you  are  praying  for  such  an  experience  do  not 
imagine  that  it  will  insure  your  holding  large  audiences  in  breath- 
less attention  to  your  words!  In  the  original  instance  only  one 
"lifted  up  his  voice"  in  public  speech  (v.  14).  Students  in  the  class- 
room, laboratory,  and  athletic  field,  men  in  business  and  mothers  in 
their  homes  and  among  their  neighbors,  need  the  empowering  com- 
panionship in  order  to  take  the  part  assigned  to  "all  flesh"  in  the 
great  campaign  of  testimony. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  13 

Study  II. — CJe  (Kmpotoertnfl:  of  t^t  Witnteatsi  anU  tje  JFtr«t 
Cefittmonp*    2:1=47 

Fourth  Day:    The  Nature  and  Results  of  the  Expe- 
rience.   2 : 1-14,  37-47 

The  nature  of  this  experience  is  best  understood  when  it  is  seen 
to  be  the  Spirit  of  God  in  personal  association  with  these  men.  Such 
personal  association  must  primarily  produce  a  change  in  character. 
The  person  who  has  begun  this  life  of  companionship  with  the  per- 
sonal Spirit  of  God  will  become  a  better  witness  by  becoming  a 
better  man.  The  fundamental  idea  of  John  the  Baptist's  water  bap- 
tism had  been  to  symbolize  the  moral  purifying  that  would  follow 
repentance.  So  the  idea  of  a  "baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit"  is 
that  of  purification  of  character  through  continued  association  with 
a  holy  personal  force.  Before  reading  further  on  this  page  read 
vv.  37-47,  and  see  what  evidences  of  improved  character  appear  in 
the  conduct  of  these  men. 

The  person  in  association  with  the  Holy  Spirit  ought  to  reproduce 
more  and  more  clearly  in  his  own  character  the  fundamental  traits 
that  appear  in  the  character  of  this  Person  with  whom  he  associates. 
(i)  One  such  trait  noticeable  here  is  joy.  The  approach  of  the  Spirit 
affected  their  excitable  oriental  natures  like  wine.  Read  2 :  13  and 
Ephesians  5 :  18.  This  new  joy  soon  settled  into  a  permanent,  quiet 
gladness.  Read  2 :  46-47.  The  joyful  consciousness  of  friendly  as- 
sociation with  a  mighty  spiritual  force  gave  birth  to  a  triumphant, 
fearless  testimony.  (2)  The  Holy  Spirit  is  sometimes  called  the 
Spirit  of  "Truth,"  that  is,  of  sincerity.  Is  there  any  evidence  here 
that  this  quality  begins  to  appear  in  the  testimony  of  these  wit- 
nesses? (3)  The  Holy  Spirit  is  also  called  the  "Helper"  ("Com- 
forter," John  14:  16).  Do  these  men  give  evidence  of  new  and  help- 
ful sympathy  with  other  men?  This  quality,  more  than  any  other, 
makes  testimony  effective.  The  statement  made  in  Acts  4 :  32-33  is 
not  surprising. 

What  Jesus  promised  His  disciples  (1:5)  seems  to  have  been  such 
association  of  the  Spirit  of  God  with  the  spirit  of  the  disciple  as 
would  produce  a  divine  sympathy,  sincerity,  and  gladness,  and  would 
therefore  make  the  disciple  an  effective  witness  by  silent  life  and 
spoken  word  in  the  great  campaign  of  testimony  which  is  to  secure 
a  recognition  of  the  Lordship  of  Jesus  in  all  the  earth. 


14  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  II. — CTJe  Cmpotoerinff  of  t^t  Witntn&tn  antr  tje  jFlwt 
Cefitimonp.    2:1:47 

Fifth  Day  :    The  First  Testimony.    2 :  14-40 

Before  reading  the  testimony  think  for  a  moment  of  the  situation. 
Some  thousands  of  people  are  gathered  in  one  of  the  great  open 
courts  of  the  temple  enclosure.  Jesus  has  within  a  few  weeks  been 
executed  as  one  of  the  false  messianic  claimants  that  from  time  to 
time  appear  in  the  nation.  In  the  barracks  near  by  the  soldiers 
charged  with  the  execution  of  Jesus  are  still  wearing  the  clothes 
that  Jesus  wore  when  He  went  out  to  His  execution  (John  19:  23-24). 
The  Galilean  Peter,  with  his  northern  brogue  (Matt.  26:73),  is 
about  to  address  them.  He  is  a  man  sensible  of  the  presence  of 
God  in  his  soul,  and  has  about  him  eleven  other  praying  men  in  the 
same  frame  of  mind  (v.  14).  He  proceeds  to  say  that  the  excite- 
ment of  himself  and  his  associates  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  criti- 
cal "last  days'*  of  the  Old  Age,  which  just  precede  the  judgment 
day  of  the  Lord  and  the  New  Age,  have  come,  and  God's  Spirit  has 
begun  to  work,  according  to  prophecy,  upon  common  men  like  them- 
selves.   Read  carefully  vv.  15-21. 

His  next  proposition  is  stated  in  v.  22.  What  is  the  proposition? 
Perhaps  there  were  some  present  whose  condition  was  proof  of 
his  proposition.  He  does  not  assert  this  as  proof  of  the  Messiah- 
ship  of  Jesus.  His  next  proposition  is  stated  in  v.  23.  What  is  it? 
"Lawless"  men  means  foreigners,  Romans,  who  had  not  the  Mosaic 
law.  God  had  allowed  Judas  to  deliver  Him  up.  The  act  was  not 
the  victory  of  shrewd  and  wicked  men  over  God  that  it  seemed  to 
be.  And  now,  in  vv.  24-36,  he  makes  and  proves  his  startling  cen- 
tral proposition.  What  is  it,  and  how  does  he  prove  it?  The  sub- 
ject will  be  continued  to-morrow. 

Information  about,  and  personal  experience  with,  Jesus  furnish  the 
material  for  our  testimony.  Have  you  ever  made  an  inventory  of 
this  material  and  arranged  it  with  reference  to  giving  testimony? 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  15 

Study  IL—QL^t  (Empotoerms:  of  t^  Wiint&sta  auK  tlie  JFltBit 
©eflitimonp.    2:1-47 

Sixth  Day:  The  First  Testimony  (Concluded).  2: 14-41 

The  main  point  in  Peter's  testimony  is  that  the  man  Jesus  so 
wonderfully  endorsed  by  God  during  His  lifetime  (v.  22)  is  now 
proved  by  God's  raising  Him  from  the  dead  and  taking  Him  into 
His  own  glory,  to  be  the  Christ.  Peter  rests  his  case  partly  upon 
a  new  interpretation  of  scripture.  Under  the  guidance  of  Jesus  the 
apostles  have  been  able  to  make  a  new  discovery  in  the  exegesis  of 
the  prophets  (cf.  Luke  24:27,  44-47).  In  prophecies,  which  it  is 
assumed  all  will  recognize  as  Messianic,  they  point  out  what  no 
rabbi  has  ever  dreamed,  namely,  a  prediction  of  the  death  and  resur- 
rection of  the  Messiah!  What  the  prophets  predict  about  the  Mes- 
siah they  can  testify  has  happened  to  Jesus.  Therefore  Jesus  is  the 
Messiah!  In  Ps.  16  David  is  now  seen  to  have  foretold  that  the 
Christ  would  go  to  the  regions  of  the  dead  ("Hades"),  but  would 
not  remain  there.  David  was  not  speaking  about  himself,  but  about 
the  Christ  (vv.  29-31).  That  Jesus  did  return  from  Hades  the  apos- 
tles can  testify  (v.  32).  That  God  has  taken  Him  into  his  own 
glory  is  made  evident  by  the  phenomena  of  this  eventful  morning, 
for  He  had  promised  them  to  give  them  some  such  signal  that  He 
was  with  God  (v.  33).  Furthermore,  we  ought  to  have  expected  the 
Messiah  to  go  to  God  for  a  while  and  await  there  the  subjugation 
of  His  enemies,  instead  of  remaining  continually  on  the  earth,  for 
such  we  now  see  was  the  prediction  of  David  (vv.  34-35).  There- 
fore, let  everyone  know  that  THE  HOUSE  OF  ISRAEL  HAS 
CRUCIFIED  ITS  LORD  (v.  36) ! 

No  wonder  that  the  crowds  were  thrilled  with  horror,  fear,  and 
chagrin  (v.  37).  Peter  appeals  to  hope  (vv.  38-39)  ;  also  to  fear 
(v.  40). 

Two  questions,  for  such  consideration  as  your  time  may  warrant, 
are  these:  How  may  Peter's  argument  be  stated  in  the  vernacular 
of  modern  thought?  What  hints  regarding  the  way  in  which  to 
move  men  to  decision  are  afforded  by  Peter's  method? 

A  growing  sense  of  fellowship  with  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God 
is  represented  as  an  inducement  to  begin  the  Christian  life  (v.  38). 
Perhaps  in  the  artificial  bustle  and  unhealthful  hurry  of  our  lives 
we  do  not  suflaciently  give  ourselves  tQ  the  quietness  of  this  thought. 


i6  NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS 

Study  II. — Cjjc  Cmpttoerinff  of  t^e  Witntsstfi  anH  tbe  Jirfit 
Cectimonp*    2:1-47 

Seventh  Day;    The  Results  of  the  First  Testimony. 

2:41-47 

Read  2 :  42-47.  It  at  once  became  evident  that  it  was  not  sufficient 
merely  to  secure  a  baptismal  confession  of  the  Lordship  of  Jesus. 
There  was  a  life  to  be  developed.  In  v.  42  the  means  of  developing 
this  life  are  mentioned.  The  first  means  was  the  "apostles'  teach- 
ing," When  the  crowds  returned  to  the  temple  area  the  next  day, 
what  questions  would  they  have  been  most  likely  to  ask  the  apostles  ? 
What  questions  would  you  have  asked  if  you  had  been  there?  Very 
likely  out  of  such  "teaching"  as  the  needs  of  the  people  demanded, 
our  first  three  Gospels  were  later  developed. 

"The  fellowship"  means  the  "sharing."  They  shared  not  only 
their  property,  when  an  emergency  demanded  such  fellowship ;  but, 
as  far  as  possible,  each  shared  all  the  joys  and  hardships  of  his 
brother's  situation.  Three  strong  bonds  were  binding  them  together, 
— a  common  friend,  deliverance  from  a  common  peril,  and  a  com- 
mon hope.  Did  their  fellowship  in  property  involve  the  renuncia- 
tion of  the  principle  of  private  property  ?  Read  5 :  1-4.  The  situa- 
tion was  unusual.  Many  doubtless  were  poor,  for  Jesus'  work  had 
largely  been  among  the  poor.  Read  Luke  7 :  22.  Often  confession 
of  Jesus'  name  meant  social  ostracism  and  loss  of  work.    John  9:  22. 

The  "breaking  of  bread"  here,  and  in  Acts  20:  11,  seems  to  indi- 
cate the  Lord's  Supper  (cf.  i  Cor.  10:16).  According  to  2:46 
something  out  of  which  the  Lord's  Supper  later  developed  may  have 
been  observed  each  day.  "Till  he  come"  was  the  thought  that  each 
of  these  first  Christians  read  daily  as  he  looked  into  the  faces  of  his 
brothers  at  table. 

The  "prayers"  were  probably  the  regular  synagogue  and  temple 
prayers.  The  initial  gladness  of  Pentecost  did  not  wear  off,  and 
large  numbers  applied  daily  at  the  apostolic  headquarters  for  the 
new  baptism  (vv.  46-47). 

We  need  to  take  definite  pains  to  develop  "the  life"  by  a  system- 
atic use  of  means,— by  sharing  as  far  as  may  be  the  situation  of 
others,  by  studying  the  teaching,  by  prayer,  by  the  remembrance  of 
Jesus  at  the  daily  meal. 


NEJV  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  17 

Study  III.— d)e  jFailure  of  tU  ^xit6i6  in  QL^tix  ©ffort  to 
S)t0p  tht  Cefitimonp.    3:1—4:31 

First  Day  :    A  Cripple  Is  Cured  by  the  Invisible  Jesus. 

3:1-10 

The  first  Christians  had  no  suspicion  that  any  religious  institution 
or  habit  needed  to  be  changed  after  their  recognition  of  the  Messiah- 
ship  of  Jesus.  Going  up  to  the  temple  for  the  usual  afternoon  prayer 
hour,  Peter  and  John  found  at  the  temple  gate  a  poor  cripple  who 
had  been  allowed  by  the  temple  authorities  a  place  favorable  for  ap- 
peal to  the  stream  of  temple  worshipers.  As  they  drew  near  the  gate 
Peter  felt  an  impulse  to  do  for  the  man  what  he  had  so  often  seen 
Jesus  do  for  the  unfortunate.  Perhaps  he  had  had  some  experience 
in  curing  the  lame  during  Jesus'  lifetime  (Matt.  10:7-8).  To  his 
great  gratification  he  finds  that  the  use  of  Jesus'  name  is  effective. 
Read  3:  i-io,  trying  to  see  the  picture  portrayed  in  each  phrase. 

Three  things  were  made  clear  to  Peter  by  this  incident:  (i)  It  was 
evident  that  Jesus'  compassion  had  not  ceased.  In  His  invisible  glory 
He  still  felt  toward  crippled  sufferers  just  as  He  had  felt  a  few 
months  before.  (2)  There  was  still  a  real  relationship  between  Jesus 
and  His  disciples.  The  disciple  could  appeal  to  his  invisible  Lord  as 
he  had  appealed  to  Him  in  the  flesh,  and  find  Him  a  responding 
force  (v.  16).  (3)  It  was  evident  that  the  disciples  were  to  be  the 
persons  through  whom  the  power  of  the  invisible  Jesus  was  to  be 
applied  to  such  cases  of  need. 

The  sorest  need  of  men  is  not  the  need  of  stronger  legs.  There  are 
many  crippled  spirits  making,  it  may  be,  only  mute  signals  of  dis- 
tress, which  those  absorbed  in  their  own  concerns  never  see,  even  on 
their  way  to  the  place  of  prayer,  but  which  disciples  of  Jesus,  trained 
by  their  Lord  to  consider  the  finding  of  such  their  life-work,  quickly 
discover.  It  is  to  these  crippled  spirits,  discouraged,  sullen,  bitter, 
frightened,  apathetic,  as  the  case  may  be,  that  the  Christian  witness 
comes  with  a  heart  peaceful,  confident,  sympathetic,  and  with  a  tes- 
timony to  the  power  and  love  of  his  Lord.  He  takes  them  by  the 
hand  and  says:  ''What  I  have  I  give  thee.  In  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Nazareth,  walk." 


Chapters  3-8,  A.  D.  30-34  (Zahn). 


i8  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 


Study  III.-— C^e  iFailure  of  tU  JJriegtfif  in  C^eir  d^ffort  to 
S)top  t Je  Cefittmonp.    3 :  X~4 : 3 1 

Second  Day:     The  Testimony  in  Solomon's  Porch. 

3: 11-26 

Read  3:  11-26,  and  as  you  read,  without  spending  too  much  time, 
note  the  points  that  at  once  impress  you,  as  like  those  of  Peter's  ad- 
dress in  the  preceding  chapter. 

"Solomon's  Porch,"  or  colonnade,  a  favorite  resort  of  Jesus  (John 
10:  23)  was  a  favorite  place  of  assembly  for  the  first  Christians  (Acts 
5:12).  The  crowd  quickly  gathered  here,  attracted  by  the  excited 
antics  (v.  8)  of  the  man  who  had  just  been  healed  at  the  gate.  Peter, 
exhilarated  by  the  sense  of  connection  with  Jesus  which  his  experi- 
ence with  the  lame  man  has  just  given  him,  proceeds  to  deliver  an- 
other testimony.  It  contains  certain  new  ideas.  Notice  in  v.  13 
(Revised  Version)  the  new  title  applied  to  Jesus.  Evidently  Isaiah's 
"Servant  of  Jehovah"  is  in  Peter's  mind.  Glance  at  Isaiah  42 :  1-4 
and  52: 13-15.  In  accusing  them  of  the  Messiah's  murder,  Peter  uses 
more  incisive  language. 

Read  vv.  13-14.  The  Roman  procurator  himself  recognized  the  in- 
nocence of  Jesus  and  wished  to  save  Him.  They  asked  for  a  de- 
stroyer of  life,  and  killed  the  "Prince"  or  "Author"  of  life !  They 
were,  therefore,  engaged  in  an  awful  conflict  with  God  who,  by  a 
resurrection  to  which  the  apostles  can  testify,  undid  their  murderous 
work.  But  Jesus,  in  spite  of  the  murderous  hate  of  His  enemies, 
continues  His  merciful  work  among  them.  The  cure  of  this  cripple 
is  an  instance  of  it.  Their  confident  trust  in  the  Lord  Messiah  has 
given  the  Messiah  opportunity  to  work  through  their  agency  (v.  16). 
In  V.  17  he  comforts  them  a  little. 

"All  the  people  saw  him  walking  and  praising  God"  (v.  9).  It  was 
this  man's  evident  sense  of  having  been  benefited  by  God  that  made 
him  so  effective  among  the  people.  One  reason  why  our  lives  are  less 
effective  than  they  might  be  is,  that  we  do  not  repeatedly  give  defi- 
nite thought  to  the  good  things  that  come  into  our  lives  from  God. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  19 

Study  III— C^e  JFailttre  of  tht  J}mgt«  in  CJellr  (Effort  to 
^top  tl^e  QTefitimonp.    3 : 1  —4 :  31 

Third   Day:     The   Testimony   in    Solomon's   Porch. 
3: 11-26  (Concluded) 

Read  vv.  19-21,  in  which  Peter  shows  more  clearly  than  in  his 
former  address  what  he  conceives  to  be  the  immediate  program  of 
the  Messianic  movement.  The  Messiah  has  been  taken  to  God  until 
the  time  come  for  the  restoration  of  such  innocence  and  peace  as 
existed  before  sin  entered  the  world,  or  perhaps  restoration  of  Jew- 
ish independence  and  supremacy  (cf.  1:6).  Peter  here  represents 
the  view  that  was  current  among  the  Jews  of  his  day.  The  repent- 
ance of  the  nation  will  hasten  this  period  and  the  return  of  the 
Messiah  with  His  reign  of  peace  and  love.  The  point  at  which  Peter 
and  his  friends  differ  from  the  ordinary  Jew  is  in  recognizing  that 
the  Messiah,  after  His  appearance  among  the  people,  is  withdrawn 
into  the  heavens  for  a  time.  It  is  only  recently  that  they  have 
reached  this  conclusion,  for  in  i :  6  they  had  quite  another  concep- 
tion. 

To  what  motive  does  Peter  appeal  in  vv.  22-23?  To  what  motive 
does  Peter  appeal  in  vv.  24-26?  All  nations  would  in  some  way 
finally  share  the  blessings  of  the  Messianic  reign,  but  Peter  seems 
to  feel  that  foreigners  naturally  could  have  no  chance  at  these  bless- 
ings until  the  Jews  had  first  availed  themselves  of  them.  After  the 
Jews  had  turned  to  the  Messiah,  the  foreigners,  by  becoming  Jewish 
proselytes,  could  also  have  some  subordinate  share  in  the  Messianic 
glory.  Read  v.  26.  This  view-point  explains  why  the  apostles  did 
not  at  once  begin  the  execution  of  the  commission  given  them  by 
Jesus,  as  reported  in  Matt.  28 :  19. 

"Every  soul  that  shall  not  hearken  unto  that  prophet  shall  be  ut- 
terly destroyed  from  among  the  people"  (v.  23).  He  who  will  not 
accept  Jesus'  ideal  of  the  brotherly  life  must  inevitably  lose  his 
place  in  the  great  family.  God  is  working  through  certain  irresistible 
sociological  forces  to  eliminate  the  selfish  man  from  human  society. 


20  'NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  lll.—dL^t  Jailttre  of  ibt  JJricfiitfi;  in  C|)eir  (l^ffort  to 
S>top  tl)e  Cefl!tim0np.    3:1—4:31 

Fourth  Day  :    The  Witnesses  Arrested  by  the  Priests. 

4:1-4 

While  Peter  was  still  speaking  to  the  crowds  in  the  colonnade 
there  suddenly  appeared  a  group  of  determined  men,  consisting  of 
the  chief  of  the  temple  police  (next  in  authority  to  the  high  priest), 
a  few  of  the  leading  priests,  and  some  other  prominent  members  of 
the  Sadducean  party,  who  pushed  their  way  through  the  crowd  and 
arrested  Peter  and  John.  Read  4:  1-3.  The  Sadducees  in  general 
were  the  more  aristocratic,  theologically  liberal  element  in  the  na- 
tion. Greek  civilization  had  penetrated  even  Palestine,  and  the  Sad- 
ducees were  far  more  open  to  its  influence  than  were  the  conservative 
Pharisees.  They  were  chiefly  significant  in  the  national  life,  because 
the  high  priest  and  all  his  family  were  Sadducees.  The  high  priest 
was  appointed  by  the  Roman  government  and  was  ex-officio  presi- 
dent of  the  highest  Jewish  court,  the  sanhedrin.  The  Sadducean 
priests  had  urged  the  execution  of  Jesus  because  they  had  shrewdly 
foreseen  that  His  success  would  interfere  with  their  political  ambi- 
tions, which  included  the  control  of  the  temple  revenues.  It  was  a 
part  of  their  theological  liberalism  that  they  did  not  believe  in  exist- 
ence after  death  (Mark  12:  18  and  Acts  23:  8),  though  perhaps  they 
would  themselves  have  described  this  view  as  primitive  Jewish  doc- 
trine from  which  the  Pharisees  had  unwarrantably  departed.  Natu- 
rally, it  annoyed  them  to  have  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection,  and 
particularly  the  resurrection  of  their  enemy  Jesus,  preached  under 
their  very  eyes  in  the  temple  colonnades  where  their  authority  pre- 
vailed. Therefore,  this  afternoon,  when  a  large  crowd  was  present, 
seemed  to  them  an  opportune  time  to  attack  the  preachers.  Perhaps 
also  the  wild  antics  of  the  cured  cripple  (v.  8)  and  the  rush  of  the 
people  in  all  directions  toward  Solomon's  colonnade  (v.  11)  seemed 
to  the  captain  of  the  temple  police  disorderly  conduct  that  served 
as  a  good  pretext  for  making  an  arrest. 

The  Sadducees  faced  truths  which  they  did  not  recognize.  How 
can  one  guard  himself  against  being  blinded  to  great  truths  by  his 
iprtiiudices? 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  21 

Study  III.— (ZTJe  jFailure  of  ibt  JJclecitfi  in  C^iit  ©ffart  to 
^top  t^t  €ttitmoniP*    3:X— 4:31 

Fifth  Day  :   The  Trial  and  Defense  of  the  Witnesses. 

4:5-13 

The  next  morning  a  meeting  of  the  sanhedrin  was  called.  Read 
vv.  5-6.  What  charge  do  you  suppose  the  priests  planned  to  bring 
against  these  men  ?  And  what  action  do  you  suppose  the  priests  had 
planned  to  have  the  court  take? 

Whatever  their  plan,  their  first  surprise  was  occasioned  by  the 
extreme  boldness  of  the  prisoners.  Men  were  ordinarily  abashed  and 
awkward  in  the  presence  of  this  assemblage  of  distinguished  priests 
and  rabbis.  Peter  began  to  feel  the  inner  stirring  of  the  same  power 
that  had  touched  his  spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  and  probably 
many  times  since.  His  courage  rose  and  his  intellectual  perception 
of  the  strength  of  his  case  was  clear.  The  prisoners  were  being 
prosecuted  "for  a  good  deed  done  to  a  sick  man!"  Read  vv.  7-9. 
The  deed  was  unhesitatingly  ascribed  to  the  Jesus  who,  only  a  few 
weeks  before,  had  stood  where  Peter  now  was  standing.  Peter  ac- 
cused them,  in  language  that  some  of  them  had  heard  from  Jesus 
Himself  (Mark  12:  10),  of  professional  incompetence  and  stupidity. 
They  were  like  builders  that  had  not  sense  enough  to  recognize  the 
stone  sent  up  from  the  quarry  by  the  architect  to  serve  as  corner- 
stone! Read  vv.  lo-ii.  Even  now  there  was  no  other  than  this 
Jesus  to  whom  the  murderers  and  all  the  nation  could  look  for  the 
realization  of  their  hope  of  national  greatness  and  personal  blessed- 
ness in  the  Messianic  kingdom.  Read  v.  12.  The  vigor  of  this  at- 
tack, particularly  as  it  came  from  men  who  had  never  studied  dialec- 
tics with  the  rabbis,  disconcerted  the  court.  The  perplexity  increased 
when  some  of  the  sheriffs  recognized  these  men  as  the  two  who  had 
been  hanging  about  on  the  night  of  Jesus'  trial,  when  the  conduct  of 
one  of  them  had  been  far  from  bold.  Read  v.  13,  and  compare 
Mark  14:  66-71,  or  perhaps  John  18:  10,  25-27. 

During  the  hours  of  this  night  Peter  and  John  had  doubtless  fol- 
lowed the  advice  Jesus  gave  them  on  that  other  night  (Mark 
14:37-38)  when  Peter  failed  so  miserably  because  he  ^id  not  fol- 
low it. 


22  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  Ul.—QLU  iFailitre  of  tl)e  priestd  in  dLWv  (Z^ffort  to 
ibtop  t|)c  Ceflitim0nj>.    3:1 — 4:31 

Sixth  Day  :    The  Defeat  of  the  Sanhedrin.    4 :  14-22 

Perhaps  the  priests  had  taken  it  for  granted  that  the  two  men 
would  not  dare  to  ascribe  the  cure  to  Jesus  in  the  august  presence 
of  the  sanhedrin  that  had  so  recently  condemned  Him,  and  that  they 
would,  therefore,  be  discredited  in  the  eyes  of  those  to  whom  they 
were  daily  preaching  Jesus,  Or  they  may  have  anticipated  that  the 
two  men  would  ascribe  the  cure  to  Jesus  and  may  have  planned  then 
to  proceed  against  them  as  dangerous  adherents  of  a  blasphemous 
agitator.  The  unexpected  boldness  of  the  prisoners  at  once  upset  any 
plan  they  may  have  formed  on  the  first  assumption.  What  two  cir- 
cumstances made  it  seem  impossible  to  proceed  against  the  men  ac- 
cording to  their  second  plan?    Read  vv.  14-22. 

A  modern  prosecuting  attorney  would  have  asked  the  court  to 
order  the  removal  of  the  healed  cripple  from  the  court  room.  So 
long  as  he  stood  there,  with  his  face  full  of  joy,  shifting  his  weight 
from  one  foot  to  the  other  in  the  glad  exhilaration  of  his  newly 
found  strength,  sneers  and  smiles  died  half-formed  on  the  faces  of 
these  shrewd  priestly  politicians.  Read  v.  14.  They  sought  relief 
from  their  embarrassment  in  a  private  session.  The  opposition  that 
had  begun  so  bravely,  and  that  seemed  likely  utterly  to  overwhelm 
the  testimony,  ended  in  a  weak  threat  which  the  witnesses  on  the 
spot  flatly  refused  to  heed. 

What  was  the  fundamental  fault  of  these  priests? 

The  ultimate  test  of  the  testimony  is  the  result  in  life  produced 
by  its  acceptance.  It  is  worth  every  Christian's  while  to  acquaint 
himself  with  cases  of  marked  transformation  of  life,  such  as  the 
history  of  every  city  mission  furnishes.  There  are  few  small  com- 
munities also  where  they  are  not  to  be  found.  They  present  no  more 
real,  but  more  evident,  demonstration  of  the  spiritually  wonderful 
working  of  God  than  is  afforded  by  ordinary  Christian  experience. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  ^3 

— — ./ 

Study  III.— d)c  iFailtire  of  tl^t  priects  in  dTJeir  (Effort  to 
^top  tl)e  Ctfititnonp.    3:1 — 4:31 

Seventh  Day  :  The  Report  of  the  Trial  and  Its  Effect 

ON  THE  Witnesses,    4 :  23-31 

It  had  doubtless  been  an  anxious  night  and  day  for  Nazarenes 
all  over  the  city,  and  an  unusual  number  were  in  Solomon's  Porch 
or  at  some  other  place  of  rendezvous  the  day  after  the  trial.  Or 
perhaps  it  was  some  smaller  group  to  which  the  two  men  reported 
their  experience  with  the  sanhedrin  in  vv.  23-31.  Read  these  verses 
and  make  a  list  of  the  thoughts  that  are  uppermost  in  the  minds  of 
the  believers.  Probably  this  prayer  represents  the  general  ideas 
that  were  in  the  minds  of  all,  and  that  were  expressed  in  various 
forms  by  different  persons.  Note  their  identification  in  the  present 
situation  of  the  various  opponents  mentioned  in  the  Psalm.  What 
two  things  do  they  especially  pray  for?  They  are  conscious  of  an 
alliance  with  a  mighty  invisible  ally.  The  Spirit  of  the  living  God 
had  risen  up  in  Peter,  and  looked  calmly  out  at  the  proud,  merciless 
combination  of  priestcraft,  political  ambition,  and  theological  hate 
in  the  sanhedrin,  and  thrown  it  into  confusion.  Their  sense  of  the 
nearness  of  God  must  have  been  greatly  stimulated  by  the  phenome- 
non mentioned  in  v.  31. 

It  becomes  evident  that  the  testimony,  both  in  its  ancient  and 
modem  form,  is  two-fold:  (i)  "I  have  seen  good  reasons  for  sup- 
posing that  Jesus  Christ  is  a  living  personality  and  therefore  the 
Christ  of  God  entitled  to  control  my  life."  (2)  "I  have  accepted  His 
control  and  find  myself  being  saved  by  Him  from  a  daily  life  of  in- 
creasing selfishness  and  its  ultimate  misery  to  a  daily  life  of  increas- 
ing unselfishness  with  its  growing  peace." 


24  NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS 

Study  IV.— '2r|)e  ^Itobement  id  jFtrmlp  (i^atMisW^  in  ^ttva 
fialem.    "^i  32— 6:7 

First  Day:     The  Life  of  Fellowship  and  Its  Peril. 
4:32—5:11 

Jesus  seemed  to  have  risen  up  in  the  lives  of  the  disciples !  Read 
4 :  32-35. 

Two  conspicuous  instances  of  generosity  are  cited,  and  in  such 
close  connection  as  to  make  one  suspect  some  connection  between 
them.  A  Levite,  born  in  the  island  of  Cyprus,  sold  a  piece  of  real 
estate  and  put  the  entire  proceeds  of  the  sale  into  the  apostolic 
treasury.  He  was  a  highly  gifted  and  popular  public  speaker.  The 
apostles  called  him  a  very  "son  of  exhortation."  Read  vv.  35-37. 
He  was  rapidly  making  his  way  to  the  position  of  leadership  that 
he  afterward  held.     Read  Acts  11:  19-26;  13:2. 

Something  about  Joseph's  rapid  advancement  in  popularity  seemed 
to  stir  up  a  man  and  his  wife,  named  Ananias  and  Sapphira.  Per- 
haps Ananias  was  aspiring  to  a  position  of  leadership  like  that  of 
Joseph,  and  felt  that  his  ambition  was  not  likely  to  be  realized  un- 
less he,  too,  made  some  conspicuous  contribution  to  the  common 
fund.  He  and  his  wife  brooded  over  the  matter  in  daily  discussion 
at  home,  and  finally  determined  to  sell  a  piece  of  property  and  bring 
part  of  the  proceeds  as  though  it  were  all.  Ananias  appeared  at  the 
apostolic  headquarters  with  his  bag  of  clinking  coins,  deposited  it 
at  the  apostles'  feet  and  waited  for  applause.  Three  hours  later  his 
wife  was  on  her  way  to  the  same  place,  eagerly  anticipating  the 
commendatory  words  and  glances  that  would  greet  her.  Read 
5:  i-ii.  Burial  in  the  East  sometimes  takes  place  almost  immedi- 
ately after  death.  Lieutenant  Conder  (Tent  Work  in  Palestine,  p. 
326)  reports  a  case  of  burial  fifteen  minutes  after  death. 

What  were  the  three  or  four  great  faults  of  which  the  man  and 
his  wife  were  guilty?    Why  were  they  so  severely  punished? 

One  needs  often  to  put  this  question  to  himself, — Do  I  desire  to 
appear  to  be  better  than  I  am  willing  to  take  the  pains  to  become? 

Chapters  3-8,  A.  D.  30-34  (Zahn). 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS   ^  25 

Study  IV.— ®^e  ;p[obemettt  in  jFirmlp  Cfitablisjieti  in  ^tvu-. 
salem.    4:32 — 6:7 

Second  Day:    The  Life  of  Fellowship  and  Its  Peril 
(Concluded) .    4 :  32 — 5 : 1 1 

In  the  composite  act  of  this  couple  there  were  not  simply  the  de- 
sire for  prominence,  the  love  of  money,  and  the  lie,  but  also  what 
Peter  strongly  emphasized  in  vv.  3-4,  9.  They  were  either  oblivious 
to  the  presence  of  God  or  had  so  low  a  conception  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  as  to  suppose  that  they  could  trifle  with  Him. 

Peter,  either  through  previous  acquaintance  with  the  plans  of  the 
two,  or  with  immediate  insight  into  the  heart  of  Ananias,  faced  him 
with  a  sudden  statement  of  his  guilt  and  the  man  fell  dead.  In  what 
state  of  nervous  excitement  and  trepidation  Ananias  may  have  been 
when  he  appeared  before  Peter  we  do  not  know.  Even  though  the 
process  of  death  be  physically  accounted  for,  it  would  be  none  the 
less  an  impressive  and  awful  consequence  of  guilt. 

The  action  of  these  persons  was  a  fundamental  renunciation  of 
the  Christian  life.  The  two  fundamental  features  of  the  life  advo- 
cated by  Jesus  were  (i)  unselfish  good- will,  or  the  readiness  to  do 
things  without  expectation  of  remuneration  (read  Luke  14:  12-14) ; 
and  (2)  honesty.  Both  of  these  qualities  were  lacking  in  these  two 
persons.  The  social  and  religious  life  of  the  day  was  honeycombed 
with  love  of  money,  love  of  show,  and  with  hypocrisy.  Jesus'  move- 
ment had  been  organized  as  a  protest  against  such  a  social  system. 
It  was,  therefore,  essential  that,  in  the  beginning,  when  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  movement  was  not  yet  established,  it  should  be  abso- 
lutely free  from  the  taint  and  suspicion  of  hypocrisy.  Especially  if 
there  was  danger  that  Ananias  might  become  a  prominent  leader  in 
the  new  movement,  like  Joseph  Barnabas,  strenuous  measures  to  pre- 
vent it  were  necessary. 

"Fear"  of  what  (v.  11)? 

The  value  of  testimony  depends  upon  the  sincerity  of  the  wit- 
nesses. Language  that  is  either  extravagant  or  conventional  makes 
the  impression  that  it  does  not  report  real  experience,  and  so  vitiates 
testimony.  It  is  equally  possible  for  a  man  to  be  insincere  in  his 
Christian  giving.  His  giving  purports  to  have  as  its  motive,  inter- 
est in  the  object  to  which  the  gift  is  made.  If  this  be  not  realtor  the 
case,  its  value  as  testimony  is  vitiated. 


26  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  IV.— Cl)e  iHobemcnt  ii  Jirmlp  (ttiMlitil^tn  in  STertt* 
jsalem,    4:32—6:7 

Third  Day  :    Popularity  of  the  Movement  Among  the 
Common  People.     5 :  12-16 

Read  5 :  12-16.  Note  where  the  public  meetings  were  still  being 
held.  Does  the  information  contained  in  this  paragraph  explain  why 
the  priests  allowed  the  meetings  in  Solomon's  Porch  to  go  on  un- 
molested? 

In  V.  13  certain  classes  do  not  dare  to  identify  themselves  with 
the  new  movement,  but  the  common  people  are  enthusiastically  fa- 
vorable to  it.  Who  are  those  who  do  not  dare  to  join  it?  In 
what  sense  was  it  "to  the  Lord"  that  new  believers  were  being  added 
(v.  14)  ? 

Picture  the  scene  described  in  v.  15.  The  statement  suggests  ex- 
periences in  the  life  of  Jesus.  (Mark  6:  55-56.)  The  people  began 
to  come  in  from  the  suburban  towns,  and  perhaps  from  Judsean  vil- 
lages far  away.  The  text  does  not  say  that  all  upon  whom  Peter's 
shadow  fell  were  healed.  In  the  cases  of  those  that  were  healed  is 
it  to  be  supposed  that  God's  power  operated  in  accordance  with 
psychic  laws? 

The  report  of  this  extreme  popularity  of  the  apostles  is  prefatory 
to  an  account  of  the  activity  of  the  opposition  provoked  by  it. 

Men  are  ready  to  flock  from  every  farm,  village  and  city  to  the 
place  where  there  is  genuine  sympathy. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS    ^  27 

Study  IV. — d)e  JHotocment  is;  f  irmlp  CstaiUfil^eJ  in  ^Tertt- 
calem.    4:32—6:7 

Fourth   Day:     Renewed  Opposition  of  the   Priests. 

5:17-28 

The  priests  were  becoming  desperate.  If  they  could  not  succeed 
in  enforcing  their  commands  and  threats,  they  would  lose  the  confi- 
dence of  the  Roman  government  which  kept  them  in  office.  They 
felt  that  this  Messianic  movement  might  at  any  moment  develop  into 
a  popular  uprising,  for  which  the  Roman  authorities  would  hold 
them  responsible.  Cf.  John  11:47-48.  Furthermore,  everyone  who 
believed  in  Jesus  thereby  proclaimed  that  the  priests  had  blundered, 
to  say  the  least,  in  executing  Jesus.  This  was  a  serious  reflection 
upon  their  professional  competency.  Also  the  personal  popularity 
of  these  untrained  laymen  made  the  priests  jealous.  Peter,  on  his 
way  to  the  temple,  sometimes  walked  through  an  avenue  of  sick 
persons  who  were  waiting  for  him.  The  high  priest  had  no  such 
experience  !    Read  vv.  17-18. 

Read  vv.  19-28.  How  did  the  men  get  out  of  prison?  The  pris- 
oners themselves  must  have  reported  the  method,  for  no  one  else 
would  have  been  in  a  position  to  know.  In  any  case  it  was  evident 
that  God  meant  the  testimony  to  go  right  on.  When  the  trumpet 
called  the  morning  relay  of  priests  to  their  service,  and  the  early 
morning  worshipers  began  to  appear,  the  witnesses  were  again  in 
their  usual  place.  Note  that  the  high  priest  has  been  put  upon  the 
defensive  (v.  28). 

"Speak  to  the  people  all  the  words  of  this  life"  (v.  20).  It  is 
perfectly  evident  that  God  loves  the  people,  the  people  of  the 
crowded  street,  men  and  women,  bootblacks  and  bank  presidents, 
coachmen  and  clerks.  He  means  to  have  them  all  know  about  the 
"life."  The  voice  of  a  man  crying  out  the  testimony  shall  never 
fail  in  the  earth.  The  steady  proclamation  of  this  testimony  going 
on  year  after  year  is  one  of  the  most  impressive  phenomena  of  his- 
tory. 


28  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  IV.— Clie  ;potocment  ifi  Jirmlp  (S^stMi^^tti  in  STeru- 
galem.    4:32—6:7 

Fifth  Day:     The -Opposition  of  the  Priests  Again 
Defeated.    5 :  29-42 

Read  Peter's  defense  in  vv.  29-32,  remembering  the  priests'  des- 
perate frame  of  mind.  According  to  Peter's  statements  he  and  the 
other  apostles,  by  virtue  of  having  been  the  chosen  associates  of  Jesus, 
are  in  God's  sight  the  real  leaders  of  the  nation  and  these  dignified 
priests  are  usurpers.  The  priests  became  bitterly  angry  and  were 
ready  at  once  to  sentence  the  apostles  to  death  (v.  33).  At  this  junc- 
ture a  note  of  moderation  was  sounded  from  another  section  of  the 
sanhedrin.  The  Pharisees  have  not  hitherto  appeared  upon  the  scene, 
although  bitterly  of  posed  to  Jesus  during  most  of  His  public  career. 
The  Pharisees  remained  inactive  after  the  death  of  Jesus  because 
the  Sadducean  priests,  as  custodians  of  the  temple  courts,  had  to 
take  notice  of  the  Nazarenes  who  chose  the  temple  courts  as  their 
rendezvous.  When  once  the  priests  had  attacked  the  Nazarenes  for 
teaching  the  resurrection,  naturally  the  Pharisees  did  not  care  to  join 
them,  for  the  Pharisees  were  themselves  stanch  defenders  of  belief 
in  a  resurrection  and  future  life. 

The  Pharisee  who  now  advised  moderation  was,  according  to  the 
Talmud,  a  very  famous  rabbi  and  is  well  known  in  Christian  history 
because  of  one  of  his  disciples.  Read  Acts  22 :  3.  What  is  the  rabbi's 
argument,  as  stated  in  vv.  34-39?  Is  he  favorably  inclined  to  the 
new  movement  or  contemptuous?  The  apostles  were  whipped,  but 
the  whipping  did  not  stop  the  testimony.  It  only  made  them  realize 
how  much  they  loved  their  Lord  (vv.  40-42). 

We  come  of  an  heroic  lineage  of  sufferers.  The  power  of  Jesus  to 
retain  century  after  century  an  affection  that  is  ready  to  suffer,  not 
for  a  principle  merely,  but  for  Him,  is  a  striking  phenomenon  in  the 
history  of  religions. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  29 

Study  IV. — QTHie  Jflobemcnt  is  iFirml?  (Efitablifi(l)cli  in  STerti-- 
tfalem.    4:32—6:7 

Sixth  Day  :    The  New  Movement  Begins  to  Organize. 

6:1-6 

The  movement  up  to  this  time  has  been  a  spontaneous  growth 
which  has  not  needed  any  formal  organization  or  division  of  labor. 
Numbers  had,  however,  now  become  so  great  as  to  demand  the  sys- 
tematizing of  the  work.  Read  6:  1-6,  noting  (i)  what  the  occasion 
of  organization  was,  and  (2)  by  just  what  steps  the  organization  was 
effected. 

There  were  in  Jerusalem  both  natives  of  Palestine,  called  "He- 
brews," who  spoke  the  Aramaic  vernacular  (sometimes  called  He- 
brew, Acts  21:40),  and  foreign-born  Jews  who  did  not  understand 
Aramaic.  Some  of  these  foreign-born  Jews  had  come  to  feel  that 
their  poor  were  not  being  adequately  looked  after  in  the  daily  dis- 
tribution of  food.  The  Board  of  Relief  which  was  organized  to 
remedy  this  defect  was  mainly  composed  of  men  with  Greek  names. 
If  this  is  a  fair  indication  that  they  were  Greek-speaking  Jews,  a 
generous  concession  was  made  to  the  party  that  had  felt  itself  ag- 
grieved. Do  you  see  why  the  three  qualities  mentioned  in  v.  3  would 
be  especially  needed  in  relief  work? 

One  member  of  this  Board  of  Relief,  a  man  named  Stephen,  was 
not  merely  a  man  of  affairs,  but  was  also  an  effective  public  speaker 
(v.  10).  He  also,  like  Peter,  was  able  to  perform  "miracles"  that 
are  described  as  exhibitions  of  compassionate  power  (v.  8),  and  that 
probably  consisted  in  curing  the  sick.  He  was  probably  a  foreign- 
born  Jew,  for  it  was  in  certain  synagogues  of  the  Greek-speaking 
Jews  that  he  seems  to  have  presented  the  Nazarene  argument  (v.  9). 
A  part  of  the  purpose  of  this  paragraph  (vv.  1-6)  seems  to  be  to 
introduce  Stephen  into  the  narrative  and  to  prepare  the  reader  for 
the  important. part  he  is  to  play  in  the  history  immediately  following. 

It  requires  fully  as  much  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  presence  to  do  busi- 
sess  fairly  as  it  does  to  preach  the  gospel  effectively  from  a  pulpit. 


30  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  IV.— Cjie  JHobement  in  JFirmlp  (l^fitablisjieU  in  STertt-- 

0alem»    4:32—0:7 

Seventh  Day  :   -Summary  of  Progress.    6 : 7 

The  progress  made  during  the  period  under  consideration  has  been 
made  in  spite  of  bitter  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  priests.  The 
success  of  the  movement  in  Jerusalem  is  now  impressively  described 
by  stating  that  a  large  company  of  the  priests  themselves  have  been 
won  over  to  the  new  movement.  According  to  Josephus,  the  total 
number  of  priests  was  20,000,  and,  as  they  served  in  "courses,"  relays 
of  them  were  constantly  coming  up  from  their  country  homes  to  do 
service  in  the  temple.  (Read  Luke  1:5,  8,  23,  39,  40.)  During 
their  leisure  hours,  when  they  were  off  duty,  they  had  exceedingly 
favorable  and  frequent  opportunities  to  attend  the  meetings  in  Solo- 
mon's Porch.  Many  of  them  were  earnest,  God-fearing  men,  to 
whom  the  testimony  borne  by  the  witnesses  appealed  with  great 
force,  and  it  is  not  strange  that  many  joined  the  new  movement. 
This  must  have  been  very  exasperating  to  the  chief  priests. 

Glance  over  the  portion  of  Acts  that  has  been  covered  in  Part  I 
and  determine  what  are  the  most  prominent  ideas  that  have  ap- 
peared in  the  narrative.  Which  of  these  ideas  seem  to  you  most  to 
need  emphasis  in  the  life  of  the  modern  church? 

"Oh,  where  are  kings  and  empires  now 

Of  old  that  went  and  came? 
But,  Lord,  thy  church  is  praying  yet, 
A  thousand  years  the  same. 

"We  mark  her  goodly  battlements, 

And  her  foundations  strong; 
We  hear  within  the  solemn  voice 
Of  her  unending  song. 

"For  not  like  kingdoms  of  the  world 

Thy  holy  church,  0  God! 
Though  earthquake  shocks  are  threatening  her, 
And  tempests  are  abroad; 

"Unshaken  as  eternal  hills. 

Immovable  she  stands, 
A  mountain  that  shall  fill  the  earth, 
A  house  not  made  by  hands." 

—Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe. 


PART  II 

THE  WITNESSES  BEGIN  TO  MOVE  OUT  FROM  JERU- 
SALEM TOWARD  FOREIGNERS.    6:^-^:31 

Study  V.— The  Witness,  Stephen,  Is  Killed.    6:8—7:60. 

Study  VI. — Persecution  Scatters  the  Witnesses  Throughout  Ju- 
daea and  Samaria.    8:  1-40. 

Study  VII. — ^Jesus  Selects  a  Great  Witness  for  the  Foreign  World. 
9:1-31. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  33 

Study  V— Cl)e  Witntfis, g)tep^en,  fs  l^iUetr.    6 : 8—7 : 60 
First  Day:    Opposition  from  a  New  Quarter.    6:8-15 

In  accordance  with  Gamaliel's  advice  (5 :  33-4o)  the  new  move- 
ment was  allowed  to  go  on  unhindered  for  a  time,  in  the  expectation 
that  it  would  run  itself  out.  This  did  not,  however,  turn  out  to  be 
the  case,  and  the  opposition  again  asserted  itself.  This  time  it  was 
no  longer  the  chief  priests  that  took  the  lead.  The  synagogues  and 
not  the  temple  colonnades  were  the  scene  of  action.  The  synagogue 
was  the  Jewish  meeting-house  where  families  met  on  the  Sabbath 
for  instruction  in  the  law  of  Moses.  On  week-days  the  same  build- 
ing, or  some  part  of  it,  was  used  as  a  schoolhouse  for  the  children. 
It  was  also  a  kind  of  police  court,  where  offenders  against  the  law 
were  punished.  (Read  Matt.  10: 17.)  The  great  men  of  the  syna- 
gogue were  rabbis. 

In  a  large  city,  where  more  than  one  synagogue  would  be  needed, 
certain  classes  would  unite  in  a  synagogue  organization.  It  was  es- 
pecially true  in  Jerusalem  that  foreign-born  Jews  from  the  same  part 
of  the  world  would  combine  in  the  establishment  of  a  synagogue. 
See  the  indication  of  this  in  v.  9,  where  possibly  one,  two,  three,  or 
even  five  synagogues  are  mentioned. 

The  Freedmen's  ("Libertines")  synagogue  was  probably  composed 
of  Jews  who  had  been  slaves,  but  were  now  manumitted,  or  of  the 
descendants  of  such. 

Among  these  foreign-born  Jews,  and  presumably  in  the  synagogue 
service,  bitter  opposition  to  the  new  movement  began.  All  the  Naza- 
renes  had  doubtless  continued  to  be  regular  attendants  upon  the 
synagogue  service,  and  about  this  time  began  to  present  their  argu- 
ment for  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  from  the  synagogue  platforms. 

Read  6:8-15,  and  state  the  new  charge  made  against  the  Naza- 
renes. 

"Grace  and  power"  (v.  8).  Kindness  of  heart  and  power  to  make 
the  kindness  effective  in  the  lives  of  others  are  both  needful. 


Chapters  3-8,  A.  D.  30-34  (Zahn). 


34  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 


Study  V.—^^t  Witrues,  ^tepl)en,  ^6  J^illctJ.    6 : 8—7 :  60 
Second  Day:    The  Charge  Against  Stephen.     6:8-15 

Among  the  men  who  had  opportunity  to  present  the  Nazarene 
argument  from  synagogue  platforms,  Stephen  of  the  Board  of  Re- 
lief was,  for  some  reason,  the  most  conspicuous.  Perhaps  the  apos- 
tles were  confining  their  efforts  to  the  meetings  in  the  temple  colon- 
nade. Angry  voices  began  to  ring  out  against  him.  Perhaps  among 
the  "Cilicians"  was  the  prominent  young  rabbi,  Saul,  for  he  was  a 
Cilician-born  Jew.  (Read  Acts  22:3.)  Stephen  seemed  to  get  the 
better  of  the  argument  and  converts  were  probably  being  rapidly 
made  in  the  synagogue  audiences.  The  rabbis,  therefore,  began  to 
circulate  industriously  a  rumor  that  was  certain  to  arouse  bitter 
prejudice  against  him.  The  general  character  of  this  rumor  is  stated 
in  V.  II.  Its  more  specific  form  appears  in  vv.  13-14.  The  charge 
was  calculated  to  arouse  all  classes  against  him.  The  rabbis  who 
were  the  stanch  champions  of  the  law,  and  many  of  the  people  over 
whom  the  rabbis  had  very  great  influence,  would  naturally  feel  out- 
raged. Moreover,  the  beautiful  temple  was  the  pride  not  only  of  the 
priests,  but  of  all  the  people.  What  had  been  the  previous  attitude 
of  the  common  people  toward  the  new  movement?  Read  again 
2 :  47 ;  4 :  21 ;  5  :  13.  It  becomes  evident  that  the  supreme  court  of 
the  nation,  the  sanhedrin,  will  take  the  man's  case  up.  The  peril  is 
the  most  serious  that  has  yet  confronted  the  Nazarenes. 

Was  there  any  truth  in  the  charge  brought  against  Stephen  ?  How 
generally  do  you  suppose  what  is  reported  in  Mark  13 : 2  was 
known  ? 

Stephen  was  able  to  endure  unfair  criticism  without  being  embit- 
tered or  irritated  (v.  15).  It  is  the  sense  of  inner  fellowship  with 
God  which  enables  a  man  to  meet  this  severe  test  of  character  (v.  5). 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  35 

Study  V.— Clje  Witntse,  iJtcpl^cn,  ^Te  EilleU.    6:8—7:60 
Third  Day:    The  Truth  About  Stephen.    6:8-15 

It  is  noticeable  that  Stephen  is  not  charged  with  any  present  laxity 
in  his  observance  of  temple  worship,  or  the  laws  of  Moses  relating 
to  daily  conduct.  The  charge  against  him  concerns  his  expectation 
of  future  change.  It  seems  probable  that  there  must  have  been 
something  in  Stephen's  attitude  toward  the  law  and  the  temple  that 
prejudiced  minds  could  distort  into  the  charges  preferred  against 
him  before  the  sanhedrin.  One  of  these  charges  is  the  one  upon 
which  the  sanhedrin  had  at  first  tried  to  convict  Jesus  Himself.  Read 
Mark  14 :  57-59.  Stephen  probably  knew  that  Jesus  had  predicted 
the  destruction  of  the  beautiful  temple.  Perhaps  many  of  the  Naza- 
renes  knew  it,  but  if  so  they  would  naturally  have  said  little  about 
it  in  public.  If  the  temple  should  be  destroyed,  all  that  large  sec- 
tion of  the  Mosaic  law  which  regulated  temple  ritual  would  of  ne- 
cessity be  abrogated.  So  that  "to  destroy  this  place"  might  be  con- 
strued to  mean  also  "to  change  the  customs."  Still  most,  if  not  all, 
of  the  Nazarenes  who  anticipated  the  destruction  of  the  temple  as  a 
part  of  Jesus'  Messianic  judgment,  probably  supposed  that  it  would 
be  replaced  by  another  and  better  one.  The  charge  that  had  been 
preferred  against  Jesus  represented  that  He  proposed  to  build  a 
better  one  in  place  of  the  present  structure  (Mark  14:  58). 

Did  Stephen  differ  from  the  great  majority  of  the  Nazarenes  at 
this  point?  Did  he  foresee  a  religion  without  a  temple?  Read  his 
long  defense  in  7 :  1-53,  and  see  whether  it  throws  any  light  on  this 
point;  also  see  whether  it  is  a  "defense,"  whether  it  denies  the 
charge  made  against  him. 

To  be  at  peace  in  the  midst  of  confusion,  to  keep  cool  when  other 
men  are  angry,  to  maintain  an  invincible  good  will  when  attacked  by 
hate,  to  keep  in  the  narrow  path  of  absolute  sincerity  when  associ- 
ating with  hypocrites, — these  are  achievements  to  be  learned  under 
the  daily  discipline  of  Jesus  Christ. 


36  NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS 

Study  V.—tlL^t  Witntue,  §)tep^en,  ^fi  MleU*    6:8—7:60 
Fourth  Day:     Stephen's  Defense.     6:12 — 7:53 

Probably  Paul,  who  was  present,  gave  Luke  much  of  his  infor- 
mation regarding  the  trial  of  Stephen.  In  the  solemn  moment  after 
the  charge  had  been  read,  and  before  the  high  priest,  as  president, 
asked  the  prisoner  for  his  defense,  the  face  of  the  prisoner  seemed 
to  Paul  to  glow  like  the  peacefully  majestic  face  of  an  angel  (6:  15). 

One  count  in  the  charges  against  Stephen  was  clearly  disproved  by 
his  appearance  and  his  defense.  He  evidently  was  not  a  blatant 
blasphemer  who  was  continually  ranting  against  holy  things 
(6:  II,  13).    Read  vv.  2,  22,  30-38,  44. 

The  defense  gives  evidence  here  and  there  that  Stephen  really 
did  not  regard  the  temple  as  essential  to  worship.  God's  wonderful 
revelations  to  their  great  ancestor  Abraham  had  not  been  made  in 
a  temple  (vv.  2-8).  God  hc?i  been  with  Joseph  in  Egypt,  and  with 
Moses  in  Midian,  the  wilderness,  and  Mt.  Sinai,  where  wonderful 
things  happened  without  a  temple  (vv.  29,  ff.).  Great  David  had  no 
temple  (vv.  45-46),  and  when  Solomon,  his  son,  proposed  to  build 
one  God  protested  that  it  was  hardly  necessary  (vv.  48-50).  The 
great  fact  of  God  in  the  soul  had  been  vitally  experienced  by 
Stephen,  and  he  could  say,  emphatically :  "The  Most  High  dwelleth 
not  in  houses  made  by  hands"  (v.  48).  It  was  then  true  that  Stephen 
expected  Jesus  to  destroy  the  temple,  abrogate  its  ritual,  and  not 
build  another  temple  in  its  place.  He  had  seen  the  vision  of  the 
Revelator,  with  "no  temple  therein."  Read  Rev.  21:22.  He  was 
beginning  to  branch  off  on  a  path  that  led  to  the  position  finally 
to  be  taken  by  a  man  who  that  day  sat  among  his  accusers. 

Are  you  open  to  new  truth  coming  from  any  quarter?  Can  you 
recognize  truth,  even  when  advocated  by  those  whom  you  dislike,  o< 
against  whom  you  are  prejudiced? 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  37 

Study  V.-~ Cl)e  Wiint&ti,  g)tcp|)tn,  f  tf  Mlltn,    6 : 8—7 :  60 

Fifth  Day:     The  Defense  of  Stephen   (Concluded), 

6:12—7:57 

Stephen's  defense  made  it  clear  that  those  who  had  accused  him 
of  "blasphemy"  were  "false  accusers,"  but  seemed  to  concede  that 
he  did  not  regard  the  temple  as  essential  to  worship  in  its  ultimate 
and  ideal  form.  A  third  idea  ran  through  the  defense, — which 
more  and  more  angered  the  sanhedrin  as  they  began  to  feel  its 
sting:  The  nation  had  always  abused  its  God-sent  deliverers.  Find 
three  flagrant  illustrations  of  this  in  vv.  9-43.  The  allusion  to  a 
Messianic  prophecy  in  connection  with  one  of  these  cases  (vv.  37"4i) 
forewarned  the  sanhedrin  that  he  was  preparing  to  charge  them,  as 
Peter  had  previously  done,  with  murdering  the  Messiah.  He  soon 
did  so  with  a  fiercely  indignant  invective  (7:51-52)  that  justified 
his  reputation  (6:  10).  They  pretended  to  be  God's  holy  (circum- 
cised) people,  but  they  felt  and  heard  like  pagans  (v.  51).  Stephen 
went  still  further  and  accused  them  of  hypocritical  failure  to  keep 
the  law  they  were  so  eager  to  impose  upon  others.  He  seems  to 
have  known  of  dark  scandals  and  ugly  secrets  in  the  private  lives  of 
these  great  men,  that  were  hideously  inconsistent  with  their  unctuous 
pretensions  to  piety  (v.  53).  This  charge  coming  from  one  who 
was  supposed  to  be  a  lawless  anarchist,  and  who  was  on  trial  for 
his  life,  so  angered  some  of  the  priests  and  rabbis  that  their  features 
became  distorted  with  rage  (7:54),  and  when,  after  gazing  silently 
upward  for  a  moment,  he  announced  to  theni  that  he  saw  the  Naza- 
rene  Jesus  standing  at  God's  right  hand,  they  became  furious.  The 
session  broke  up  in  disorder,  and  they  hustled  him  with  their  own 
hands  out  of  the  court  room  (vv.  55-57). 

"The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war 

A  kingly  crown  to  gain; 
His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar: 
Who  follows  in  His  train? 

"The  martyr  first,  whose  eagle  eye 

Could  pierce  beyond  the  grave, 
Who  saw  his  Master  in  the  sky, 
And  called  on  Him  to  save.'' 

— ^Reginald  Hrbkr. 


38  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  V.— Cj^e  Witntsa,  ibttp^tn,  fd  J^illeU.    6:8—7:60 
Sixth  Day  :     The  Death  of  Stephen.     7 :  58-60 

The  priests  and  rabbis  hurried  their  prisoner  through  the  city 
gates,  and  then  had  him  stoned  as  if  he  had  been  a  venomous  snake 
or  a  mad  dog.  No  formal  sentence  seems  to  have  been  passed  by 
the  sanhedrin,  for  if  there  had  been  such  sentence  it  would  have 
required  the  endorsement  of  the  Roman  procurator.  This  was  rather 
a  case  of  semi-legal  lynching.  Human  life  was  lightly  esteemed  in 
the  first  century,  and  the  sanhedrin  leaders  knew  that  the  Roman 
procurator  was  not  likely  to  feel  any  concern  about  the  lynching  of 
a  poor  Jew  by  a  company  of  influential  citizens.  To  be  sure  they 
proceeded  to  do  their  lawless  deed  with  due  regard  for  ceremonial 
propriety.  Compare  v.  58  with  Leviticus  24 :  14 ;  Deuteronomy  17 :  7. 
Such  conduct  simply  verified  Jesus'  criticism  of  them  as  it  appears 
in  Matt.  23 :  23. 

Stephen  prayed  to  Jesus  to  receive  his  spirit  (v.  59).  As  the 
stones  struck  him  the  divine  anaesthetic  was  gently  administered.  He 
"fell  asleep"  (v.  60)  and  passed  out  into  the  quiet  glory  of  God. 
Can  you  conceive  what  really  happened  when  Jesus  "received 
Stephen's  spirit"  (v.  59)  ?  Certainly  the  expression  indicates  that 
Stephen's  career  was  no  more  ended  when  his  body  lay  bruised  and 
bleeding  among  the  sharp-edged  stones  than  was  the  career  of  Jesus 
ended  when  His  body  hung  limp  and  lifeless  on  the  cross. 

There  was  a  heavenly  side  to  this  dark  scene  of  human  hate.  The 
"other  world"  was  very  near.  Stephen's  soul  had  not  to  pass  through 
vast  inter-planetary  spaces  in  order  to  alight  upon  its  confines. 
From  where  he  was  standing  in  the  court  room  he  could  see  its  very 
heart  and  center  (v.  55).  One  wonders  whether  some  slight  shifting 
of  the  view-point,  some  quick  transformation  of  the  senses,  might 
not  introduce  one  into  the  glories  of  the  "other  world." 

"But  that  these  eyes  of  men  are  dense  and  dim, 
And  have  not  power  to  see  it  as  it  is." 

—Tennyson  :   The  PassmsL  ot  'Arikmk 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  39 

Study  V.— Cde  ^itnedg,  ^teplien,  fiJ  Mleti.    6:8—7:60 
Seventh  Day:    The  Career  of  Stephen 

Review  for  a  few  moments  to-day  the  career  of  Stephen.  What 
native  gifts  does  he  seem  to  have  possessed?  Why  was  he  so  hated? 
What  contribution  did  he  make  to  the  cause  in  life?    In  death? 

"Kuo  Lao-man  was  the  old  letter-carrier  and  general  servant.  Mr. 
Kuo  said  :...*!  was  a  long  time  with  Pastor  Pitkin.  He  was 
composed  and  calm.  He  told  me  of  some  things  the  schoolboys  had 
buried,  hoping  to  save  them,  and  then  took  out  a  letter  he  had  just 
written  to  Pi  Tai  Tai  [Mrs.  Pitkin],  and  his  camera,  and  said: 
You  go  with  me,  and  we  will  bury  these  things  in  the  ground  un- 
der the  dove-cote,  so  when  all  is  over  you  will  know  where  to  find 
them.  Send  or  take  them  to  the  soldiers  from  the  west,  or  whoever 
comes  with  them,  so  that  my  wife  may  be  sure  to  receive  them.  We 
went  out,  dug  quite  a  deep  hole  and  put  them  carefully  in,  wrapped 
in  waterproof  covers.  Then  we  went  back  to  the  pastor's  room  and 
talked  till  after  midnight.  We  knew  little  of  the  fate  of  the  Presby- 
terian friends,  but  were  sure  that  none  were  living.  At  last  Mr. 
Pitkin  said:  Do  not  risk  your  life  any  longer,  but  get  over  the 
wall  in  some  place  as  retired  as  may  be,  and  get  into  hiding  before 
dawn.  My  letter  may  be  found,  and  destroyed.  If  you  learn  that 
it  is,  send  word  to  Pi  Tai  Tai  that  God  was  with  me,  and  His  peace 
was  my  consolation.  Tell  her  that  when  Horace  [his  little  son]  is 
twenty-five  years  old  I  hope  he  will  come  to  China  to  preach  the 
Gospel  in  my  place.  Then  we  knelt  down  and  prayed  together,  and 
he  sent  me  away.  About  the  next  day  I  do  not  know  very  much. 
The  pastor  was  killed  in  the  compound,  but  the  ladies  were  taken 
to  the  Boxer  headquarters.  I  have  not  dared  to  go  back,  but  others 
have  been  there,  and  they  say  the  dove-cote  ground  has  been  dug 
over  and  nothing  left  of  the  buried  articles.' 

"When  Mr.  Pitkin's  body  was  recovered,  it  was  found  in  a  pit  with 
nine  others,  bodies  of  Chinese  whom  he  had  loved.  .  .  .  Pitkin's 
hands  were  not  bound,  but  uplifted  as  if  in  prayer,  in  which  position 
they  became  rigid." 

— R.  E.  Speer:  A  Memorial  of  Horace  Tracy  Pitkin, 


40  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  VI. — JJergenition  ^tatters  tl)e  Witnt6fitfi  CJrotiffl^ 
ottt  STutiaea  anU  Samaria*    8: 1^40 

First  Day  :    Persecution  in  Jerusalem.    8:1-4 

Read  8 : 1-4  and  compare  it  with  i :  8.  "They  have  stoned 
Stephen!"  was  an  exclamation  which,  as  it  passed  from  Nazarene 
to  Nazarene,  sent  husbands  home  to  their  wives,  and  mothers  to 
their  children.  The  experience  of  the  sanhedrin  with  Stephen  was 
like  the  taste  of  blood  to  a  tiger.  A  furious  persecution  began.  Note 
its  leader.  With  a  promptness  that  was  characteristic  of  him,  he 
began  that  very  day  (v.  i).  His  age  is  indicated  in  7:58.  Read 
22 :  3  to  see  what  had  brought  him  to  Jerusalem.  Note  his  descrip- 
tion of  himself  in  the  autobiographical  passage.  Gal.  i :  13-14.  The 
fury  of  the  persecution  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  it  involved  house- 
to-house  search  and  did  not  spare  women,  who  had  from  the  begin- 
ning been  prominently  connected  with  the  movement.  Great  num- 
bers moved  away  from  the  city  to  escape  danger.  Why  did  the 
apostles  stay  in  the  city? 

In  spile  of  the  persecutor's  fury,  certain  persons  called  "devout 
men"  took  up  Stephen's  bruised  and  bloody  corpse,  and  gave  it  for* 
mal  burial.  They  even  made  unusual  lamentation  over  it.  If  they 
were  Christian  Jews  they  may  have  been  called  specially  "devout" 
because  of  their  fearlessness.  Consider  the  question  which  must 
come  up  again  soon: — Why  was  Saul  so  violently  opposed  to  the 
Nazarenes  ? 

"They,  therefore,  that  were  scattered  abroad  went  about  preach- 
ing the  Word"  (v.  4).  Many  of  these  doubtless,  like  Philip,  had 
been,  in  a  sense,  professional  preachers  in  Jerusalem,  but  many  oth- 
ers were  commonplace  Nazarenes.  We  need  to  take  pains  not  to 
lose  our  sense  of  having  been  entrusted  with  a  definite  message 
which  we  are  to  deliver  in  all  wise  and  tactful  ways,  wherever  we 
may  be.    The  individual  Christian  is  a  propagating  center. 


Chapters  3-8,  A.  D.  30-34  (Zahn). 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  41 

■ fi 

Study  VL— Percectition  ^cattew  tU  Witntssta  dL^xmsh' 
ottt  STttHaea  anU  S>amatia.    8: 1-40 

Second  Day  :    The  Testimony  in  Samaria.    8 :  5-8 

Read  8 : 5-8.  Some  of  the  witnesses  who  fled  from  Jerusalem  did 
not  stop  until  they  reached  distant  places  (9:2;  11 :  19).  The  author 
concentrates  attention  upon  one  of  them,  whose  work  was  interest- 
ing because  he  began  to  widen  the  circle  of  those  who  might  hear 
the  testimony.  The  work  in  Samaria  was  the  beginning  of  a  broader 
policy.  It  was,  however,  only  a  beginning,  for  the  Samaritans, 
though  cordially  hated  by  the  Jews  (cf.  John  4:9).  seem  to  be  re- 
garded in  the  Talmud  as  half-breed  Jews,  or  as  semi-proselytes, 
rather  than  as  foreigners.  They  had  Jewish  blood  in  their  veins. 
Read  the  account  of  their  origin  in  2  Kings  17 :  23-33.  They  wor- 
shiped Jehovah;  expected  the  Messiah  (cf.  John  4:25);  possessed 
the  first  five  books  of  the  Hebrew  scriptures  and  consequently  prac- 
tised circumcision  and  performed  the  sacrifices  of  the  Levitical  sys- 
tem. Jesus  preached  among  them  (John  4 :  39-42)  and  probably 
John  the  Baptist  (John  3:23:  4:37-38).  Yet  there  was  plenty  of 
ill-feeling  between  Jews  and  Samaritans,  for  the  Samaritans  rejected 
all  the  Hebrew  scriptures  except  the  books  of  Moses,  they  would  not 
worship  at  Jerusalem,  and  they  constituted  a  convenient  asylum  to 
which  any  Jew  who  became  an  unpopular  citizen  in  either  Judaea  or 
Galilee  might  resort  with  safety  (Josephus,  Antiquities  11:8:7). 
Imagine  how  a  city  full  of  Samaritans,  expectant  of  a  Messiah,  and 
knowing  by  hearsay  about  the  opposition  of  the  Jewish  priests  to 
the  new  Messianic  movement  in  Jerusalem,  would  receive  a  fugitive 
witness.  Was  this  Philip  the  apostle  of  that  name  or  Stephen's  col- 
league (6:5)?    Why  was  there  so  "much  joy  in  that  city"? 

The  Nazarene  in  Jerusalem  who  was  being  dragged  along  the  stony 
street  to  prison  probably  had  very  little  sense  of  being  serviceable 
to  the  cause.  Yet  we,  as  we  look  back  upon  the  entire  situation  and 
its  outcome,  see  that,  in  the  great  forward  step  that  was  being  taken, 
his  contribution  was  as  real  as  was  that  of  Philip,  standing  flushed 
with  the  glad  sense  of  success  in  the  midst  of  the  enthusiastic 
crowds  of  the  Samaritan  capital. 


42  'NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS 

Study  VI. — perficcution  Scatters  t\)t  Witxiteatfi  Cirottrt- 
out  ^Ttt^^^a  aaU  Samaria*    8:  l=40j 

Third  Day:    The  Conspicuous  Success  of  the  Testi- 
mony in  Samaria.    8:9-13 

Read  8:  9-/3.  Luke  vividly  emphasizes  the  widely  influential  char- 
acter of  Philip's  work  by  noting  that  even  a  certain  Simon,  a  ma- 
gian,  who  had  for  a  long  time  (v.  11)  been  entrenched  in  the 
esteem  of  all  classes  (v.  10)  of  the  entire  nation  (v.  9)  was  himself, 
together  with  all  his  admirers,  swept  into  Philip's  following  (v.  13). 
The  magians  must  have  been  interesting  men.  Their  character  is 
well  described  by  Professor  Ramsay  in  Si.  Paul,  the  Traveler  and 
Roman  Citizen:  "The  magian  represented  in  his  single  personality 
both  the  modern  fortune-teller  and  the  modern  man  of  science;  and 
he  had  a  religious  as  well  as  merely  superstitious  aspect  to  the 
outer  world."  The  astrologer  of  the  Middle  Ages  was  the  ancestor 
of  both  the  modern  astronomer  and  the  modern  fortune-teller.  The 
"wise  men"  of  Matt.  2 :  i  were  "magians"  evidently  of  a  superior 
class.  What  evidence  is  there  here  in  Acts  that  this  Samaritan 
magian  had  some  religious  significance  in  the  eyes  of  the  people? 

What  was  probably  the  substance  of  Philip's  preaching  to  these 
people?  That  is,  what  did  he  probably  have  to  say  about  the  King- 
dom of  God  that  would  be  regarded  as  good  tidings  (v.  12)  ?  And 
what  did  he  probably  say  about  the  "name  of  Jesus  Christ"?  What 
did  Simon  "believe"  (v.  13)  ?  It  is  evidently  regarded  by  Luke  as 
a  significant  evidence  of  God's  power  that  Philip  should  be  able  to 
do  things  that  could  make  a  magian  like  Simon  stand  by  in  blank 
amazement  (v.  13). 

"And  there  was  much  joy  in  that  city"  (v.  8).  Wherever  there  is 
a  distinct  experience  of  release  from  evil  habit  through  the  power 
of  Jesus  Christ  there  is  real  joy.  Is  your  habitual  mood  such  as  to 
convince  an  acquaintance,  who  has  no  Christian  experience,  that  you 
have  in  youi  life  a  source  of  real  joy  that  is  lackino^  in  his? 


NEW^TUDIES  IN  ACTS  43 

Study  VI. — l^txattntion  ^catterg  t^e  Witnt&fitti  CJrottffJi* 
0ttt  STutiaea  anti  Samaria.    8: 1^40 

Fourth  Day:    God's  Endorsement  of  the  Samaritan 
Work.    8 :  14-25 

Some  of  the  Jerusalem  believers  may  have  questioned  whether  God 
would  approve  this  extension  of  the  testimony  beyond  the  strictly 
Jewish  circle.  There  had  been  as  yet  no  such  signal  endorsement 
as  the  Jerusalem  believers  had  experienced  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
Believers  had  simply,  in  the  baptismal  rite,  confessed  their  allegi- 
ance to  Jesus  as  Messianic  "Lord,"  and  joined  the  company  of  those 
who  looked  for  His  return  to  establish  God's  Kingdom.  Recently 
discovered  papyri  make  it  evident  that  in  the  eastern  world  the 
word  Lord  ("kyrios")  in  such  connections  as  this  connoted  divinity. 
Read  vv.  14-18,  picturing  the  scene  phrase  by  phrase.  Evidently  there 
were  some  visible  phenomena,  such  as  could  be  perceived  by  the 
magian.  What  do  you  imagine  them  to  have  been?  Had  they  had 
no  vital  connection  with  the  Holy  Spirit  during  the  time  between 
their  baptism  and  the  arrival  of  the  apostles?  The  magian  recog- 
nized that  the  two  apostles  from  Jerusalem  were  Philip's  superiors, 
and  he  made  the  naive  proposition  that  these  two  masters,  for  a 
money  consideration,  teach  him  how  to  add  this  accomplishment 
to  his  repertoire  of  sorceries.  Read  vv.  18-24.  Why  should  Peter 
have  been  so  indignant?  What  was  the  real  difficulty  with  the 
magian  ? 

Peter  and  John  returned  to  Jerusalem,  preaching  in  many  villages 
on  the  way.  Note  the  significant  word  Luke  uses  to  describe  their 
preaching  (v.  25). 

The  person  who  has  long  been  deceiving  others  finally  deceives 
himself.  He  who  has  long  been  blunting  the  moral  perceptions  of 
others  finally  finds  his  own  almost  hopelessly  blunt  when  he  most 
needs  to  have  them  keen. 


44  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  VI. — Iptvattutian  Scatters  tit  Witntsitfi  QLlxtin^h 
out  ^vCnmK  anU  Samaria,    8: 1-40 

Fifth    Day:     A    Eunuch    Accepts    the    Testimony. 

8 :  26-40 

The  incident  in  this  paragraph  is  evidently  regarded  by  Luke  as 
constituting  a  forward  step  in  the  process  of  carrying  the  gospel 
from  Jew  to  Gentile.  And  yet  at  first  glance  it  is  difficult  to  see 
just  what  advance  is  here  made.  Read  the  whole  paragraph,  vv. 
26-40,  and  see  whether  you  can  determine  jufet  what  the  forward 
step  is. 

Luke  does  not  seem  to  regard  the  man  as  a  Gentile,  for  he  cer- 
tainly regards  the  Roman  captain,  Cornelius  (chap.  lo),  as  the  first 
Gentile  to  receive  the  testimony.  Read  15 :  7  as  corroboration.  A 
Jew,  resident  in  Ethiopia,  would  be  called  an  Ethiopian  (cf.  2:5,  9). 

If  he  were  a  full  proselyte  of  Judaism,  his  case  would  be  exactly 
like  that  of  a  Jew  and  would  constitute  no  advance  on  what  had 
preceded.  We  have  already  met  Jewish  proselytes  among  the  Naza- 
renes  (6:5). 

Considerable  light  is  thrown  on  the  situation  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  two  classes  of  people  are  mentioned  together  in  the 
prophecy  of  Isaiah  as  not  naturally  eligible  for  admission  to  the 
Messianic  kingdom.  One  of  these  classes  Luke  is  about  to  take  up 
in  chapter  10,  with  great  emphasis  upon  the  significance  of  its  ad- 
mission into  the  new  movement,  namely,  Gentiles  that  live  among 
the  Jews  and  worship  Jehovah,  but  that  do  not  become  Jewish 
proselytes.  The  other  class,  closely  associated  with  them  as  not 
naturally  eligible  for  the  new  kingdom,  is  eunuchs.  In  Deuteronomy 
23:1  the  prejudice  against  eunuchs  is  expressed,  and  in  Isaiah 
56:  1-8  eunuchs  and  God-fearing  foreigners  are  classed  together  as 
ineligibles  for  whom  provision  will  nevertheless  be  made.  Read  the 
passage  in  Isaiah.  It  is  reasonably  clear  that  the  inclusion  of  a 
eunuch  would  seem  to  Luke  a  decisive  forward  step. 

"For  the  love  of  God  is  broader 
Than  the  measure  of  man's  mind. 
And  the  heart  of  the  Eternal 
Is  most  wonderfully  kind." 

— Faber. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  .  45 

4, . 

Study  Yl.—'^txisttuiinn  gjcatters  tl)e  Witntastfi  ^^voush 
0ttt  JttUaea  anH  Samaria.    8: 1-40 

Sixth  Day:    A  Eunuch  Accepts  the  Testimony  (Con- 
tinued).   8:26-40 

Luke  lays  emphasis  on  the  fact  that  God  arranged  the  meeting 
between  the  witness  and  the  eunuch.  In  the  midst  of  Philip's  exhil- 
arating success  in  Samaria  he  found  himself,  probably  in  a  vision 
of  the  night,  bidden  to  go  some  scores  of  miles  southward  to  the 
Jerusalem-Gaza  trunk-road,  in  a  sparsely  settled,  ''desert"  section 
where  he  was  not  likely  to  find  many  to  evangelize.  The  time  of 
his  starting  was  designated,  for  the  phrase  translated  "toward  the 
south"  may  be  translated  "about  noon."  So  he  left  his  wife  and 
little  daughters  (cf.  21 : 8-9)  and  went  on  his  lonely  way  down 
through  the  foot-hills  into  the  Philistine  plain,  wondering  why  he 
had  been  sent. 

As  he  drew  near  the  trunk-road  he  saw  in  the  distance  a  chariot 
and  attendants  suitable  to  the  needs  of  a  man  of  rank.  In  obedience 
to  an  impulse  which  he  regarded  as  produced  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
(v.  29),  he  ran  to  join  the  company  and  found  in  what  followed 
abundant  evidence  that  God  had  planned  the  meeting.  The  gentle- 
man in  the  chariot  had  come  many  hundreds  of  miles  from  the 
Abyssinian  plateau  to  celebrate  in  Jerusalem  some  feast  of  the  Jew- 
ish calendar,  and  was  now  whiling  away  the  long  hours  by  reading 
aloud  (v.  30)  from  a  roll  which  contained  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah. 
He  had  evidently  just  finished  our  fifty-second  chapter,  and  his  mem- 
ory of  the  beautiful  temple  he  had  just  left  was  merging  with  visions 
of  the  city's  future  Messianic  glory.  He  had  come  abruptly  upon 
the  strange  minor  note  of  the  fifty-third  chapter.  Read  Isaiah 
52 :  I — 53 :  9,  trying  to  put  yourself  in  the  traveler's  place. 

Philip  recognized  the  passage  as  one  regarded  by  the  Nazarenes 
as  Messianic,  and  inquired  whether  it  could  possibly  be  that  the 
gentleman  understood  its  meaning.  Why  should  such  a  gentleman 
be  so  ready  to  ask  instruction  from  a  chance  pedestrian  by  the 
roadside  ? 

It  must  have  given  Philip  an  exhilarating  sense  of  cooperating 
with  the  unseen  God  to  find  himself  the  object  of  such  evident  su- 
perintendence. If  we  were  steadily  looking  out  for  opportunities  to 
call  the  attention  of  men  to  Jesus  Christ  very  probably  we  should 
find  ourselves  evidently  working  together  with  God. 


46  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  VI.— IJergccution  Scatters  tU  Witnts&tn  QLivanzh 
out  JttUaa  anU  Samaria*    8:1-40 

Seventh  Day:     A  Eunuch  Accepts  the  Testimony 
(Concluded) .    8 :  26-40 

The  eunuch  may  have  heard  in  Jerusalem  of  the  new  Messianic 
movement,  and  may  have  known  that  Nazarene  refugees  were  scat- 
tered over  the  countryside.  He  may  easily  have  inferred  that  this 
eager  pedestrian  was  one  of  them.  Philip  probably  spoke  at  once 
of  the  death  of  Jesus,  for  the  next  sentence  in  the  Greek  translation 
of  Isaiah,  which  the  eunuch  was  probably  using,  reads:  "By  the 
lawless  ones  of  m.y  people  was  he  brought  to  death."  Philip  would 
emphasize  the  non-resistance  of  Jesus  before  His  enemies,  the  fact 
that  in  His  period  of  humiliation  His  power  of  Messianic  judgment 
was  held  in  abeyance  and  that  He  left  no  descendants.  Read  vv. 
32-35.  Philip  also  probably  called  attention  to  the  providential  cir- 
cumstances that  had  led  to  their  meeting.  It  is  evident  from  v.  36 
that  he  had  spoken  of  belief  and  baptism.  After  the  baptism  Philip 
felt  himself  constrained  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  hurry  away  (v.  39). 
The  eunuch  in  gladness  of  heart  turned  back  to  his  roll  and  read 
Isaiah  52 :  7  with  new  sense  of  its  meaning. 

It  may  have  been  some  years  later  that  Philip  settled  in  Caesaret 
(v.  40).  Note  in  21 :  8-10  the  opportunity  that  Luke  had  to  get  first- 
hand information  regarding  the  events  described  here  in  the  eighth 
chapter. 

Regarding  this  incident  as  an  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  the 
Christian  movement  is  extended,  what  persons,  influences  or  agen- 
cies appear  to  be  operative  in  such  extension? 

"The  Spirit  said  unto  Philip,  'Go  near*  .  .  .  and  Philip  ran 
to  him"  (vv.  29-30).  He  was  a  ready  witness  into  whom  God's 
Spirit  could  think  a  thought  with  the  assurance  that  it  would  be 
so  instantly  transmuted  into  action  as  to  make  the  witness  an  in- 
carnate volition  of  the  living  God.  Successful  living  consists  in  be- 
ing, without  strain  or  worry,  always  quietly  ready  for  an  emer- 
gency. Could  you  at  a  moment's  notice  tell  a  man,  who  was  ready 
to  learn,  exactly  what  it  is  to  become  a  Christian? 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  47 

Study  VII.— 3re0tifi(  ibtlttin  a  ^reat  WitntfUi  for  tje  JFot'. 
tmWoxm.    9:1^31 

First  Day  :    Rabbi  Saul's  Early  History 

Luke's  chief  interest  in  describing  the  remarkable  transformation 
of  life  experienced  by  Rabbi  Saul  appears  in  9 :  15.  Turn  also  to 
26: 16-18,  noting  incidentally  the  emphasis  there  laid  upon  the  idea 
of  "witnessing." 

Some  facts  about  his  early  history  are  of  significance.  He  was  a 
city-bred  man  (22:3),  and  the  city  of  his  birth  was  one  of  the 
three  great  university  centers  of  the  world,  the  other  two  being 
Athens  and  Alexandria.  It  is  scarcely  probable  that  his  boyhood 
was  much  influenced  by  Greek  learning,  for  his  father,  grandfather 
and  possibly  his  ancestors  still  further  back  belonged  to  the  anti- 
foreign  element  of  the  nation.  In  23 : 6  he  proudly  calls  himself  a 
son  of  Pharisees.  In  bis  early  home  life  the  family  seem  to  have 
kept  up  their  speaking  use  of  "Hebrew"  (Aramaic),  although  many 
Jewish  families  who  lived  outside  Palestine  ceased  to  use  their 
national  language.  Notice  the  evidence  of  this  in  Paul's  brief  auto- 
biographical sketch  (Phil.  3:5)  and  note  the  effective  use  he  made 
of  his  ability  to  speak  Hebrew  (Acts  21:40—22:2).  Note  also 
26 :  14.  The  family  sent  him  at  an  early  age  back  to  Palestine  and 
proposed  to  give  him  the  best  possible  opportunity  to  become  a 
great  rabbi.  See  22 :  3 ;  26 :  4-5.  He  felt  that  he  made  the  most  of 
his  advantages.  See  Gal.  i :  14.  He  was  always  passionately  loyal 
to  his  nation,  though  for  years  he  had  to  suffer  the  unjust  reproach 
that  he  was  a  renegade  Jew.  Read  his  protest  in  Rom.  9:  1-5.  Yet 
the  family  possessed  Roman  citizenship.    See  Acts  22 :  25-29. 

One  needs  to  remember  that  features  of  his  life  that  seem  to  be 
of  no  particular  significance  may  turn  out  to  be  of  great  value  in 
the  future.  He  needs  to  be  sure  that  God  is  always  at  work  shaping 
biaUfe. 


48  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Stuby  VII. — ^tfiui  §btlttt6  a  (Sxt^t  Witntss  for  tje  Jnr* 

Second  Day:    Rabbi  Saul^  the  Persecutor.    9:1-2 

When  the  Jewish  authorities  determined  to  stamp  out  the  Nazarene 
heresy  God  seemed  to  them  to  have  raised  up  a  man  for  the  hour, 
the  young  Tarsian,  Rabbi  Saul.  He  was  a  person  of  great  energy, 
determination  and  unflinching  executive  ability.  He  was  thoroughly 
convinced  that  the  heresy  must  be  stopped.  Read  his  comment  on 
this  period  of  his  life  made  many  years  later  (26:  9-11).  It  seemed 
to  Saul  that  Jesus  had  been  an  enemy  of  Pharisaism  and  its  high 
aims  for  the  religious  life  of  the  nation.  Jesus'  attitude  toward  the 
Pharisaic  interpretation  of  the  scriptures  had  been  critical,  and  His 
conduct  in  associating  with  outcast  classes  had  seemed  to  the  Phari- 
sees to  be  irreligious.  God  had  openly  and  unmistakably  cursed 
Him,  for  He  had  hung  in  naked  shame  on  a  cross  between  two 
brigands.  Now  the  fanatical  Nazarenes  dare  to  assert  that  the 
blasphemer  is  on  the  right  hand  of  God  and  will  soon  return  as 
Messianic  Lord!  Worst  of  all,  they  are  leading  the  people  to 
think  lightly  of  law  and  temple.  Stephen  had  been  a  flagrant  illus- 
tration of  their  destructive  tendency.  So  Rabbi  Saul  steals  in  upon 
groups  of  Nazarenes  gathered  at  night-time  for  prayer.  He 
''breathes  out  threatening  and  slaughter"  whenever  he  sees  a  Naza- 
rene. He  shouts  in  the  synagogue:  "Curse  Jesus,  or  we  will  kill 
you"  (26:  11). 

When  the  Nazarenes  had  been  pretty  thoroughly  scattered  from 
Jerusalem,  Saul,  with  characteristic  largeness  of  purpose,  proposed 
to  visit  the  ghetto  of  every  great  city  in  the  empire  and  stamp  the 
movement  utterly  out.  The  Jews  in  foreign  cities  were  always  in 
danger  of  yielding  to  the  worldly  influence  of  their  environment  and 
becoming  lax  in  their  observance  of  the  law.  If  now  this  Nazarene 
movement  should  develop  within  the  ghetto  itself,  the  peril  would 
be  great. 

Read  vv.  1-2.  What  propriety  do  you  see  in  calling  Nazarenes 
men  of  "the  way"? 

Have  imagination  enough  to  think  habitually  of  the  worst  man 
you  know  as  transformed  into  a  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  "ACTS  49 

Study  VII. — ^T^fitifi  S>elect6  a  (Sreat  Witnttiti  far  tje  Jor* 

Third  Day  :   Rabbi  Saul^s  Interview  with  Jesus.   9 : 3-9 

Joseph  Caiaphas,  the  priest,  smiled  approvingly  upon  Rabbi  Saul 
as  he  gave  him  his  credentials  (v.  2).  This  troublesome  Nazarene 
movement  seemed  likely  now  to  be  wholly  overthrown !  Rabbi  Saul 
took  with  him  a  detachment  of  men  to  serve  as  guards  for  the  cap- 
tives who  should  return  to  Jerusalem  with  him,  and  began  his  ride 
of  120  miles  to  Damascus.  When  he  was  almost  at  his  destination, 
about  noon,  a  blazing  blinding  light,  outshining  the  hot  Syrian  sun, 
fell  upon  them.  Rabbi  Saul  found  himself  on  the  ground  and  heard 
a  voice  calling  him  by  no  title,  but  by  the  personal  name  in  the  form 
in  which  he  had  heard  it  in  his  mother's  arms  (26:  14).  The  name 
went  sounding  down,  down,  down  into  the  depths  of  his  soul.  The 
voice  asks  him  why  he  persecutes  the  speaker.  Is  it  the  cry  of  the 
last  Nazarene  martyr  murdered  in  Jerusalem  still  ringing  in  his 
ears?  Is  it  the  unforgettable  voice  of  Stephen  of  the  angel  face? 
He  asks:  "Who  are  you,  sir?"  After  a  moment  of  suspense  comes 
an  answer,  the  first  effect  of  which  must  have  been  to  horrify  him 
and  nearly  stop  the  beating  of  his  heart :  "I  am  Jesus" !  With  quiet 
authority  Jesus  began  to  exercise  control,  and  Rabbi  Saul  began  the 
long  life  of  obedience  in  which  his  chief  glory  was  to  confess  him- 
self Jesus  Christ's  bond-slave  (cf.  Rom.  1:1).  When  Rabbi  Saul 
rose  up  he  found  himself  unable  longer  to  persecute.  Instead  of 
dashing  into  the  ghetto  with  terrifying  prestige,  he  was  led  in  as  a 
helpless,  groping,  blind  man.  Read  carefully  vv.  3-9  and  consider 
at  such  length  as  your  time  permits,  these  questions :  What  actually 
happened  to  Rabbi  Saul  at  this  time?  What  immediate  changes  in 
his  religious  life  and  conduct  were  logically  necessitated  by  this 
experience  ? 

"So  sometimes  comes  to  soul  and  sense 
The  feeling  which  is  evidence 
That  very  near  about  us  lies 
The  realm  of  spiritual  mysteries. 
The  sphere  of  the  supernal  powers 
Impinges  on  this  world  of  ours." 

— Whittier  :  The  Meeting, 

A.  D.  35  (Zahn);  A.  D.  30  <Harnack);  A.  D.  83  (32)    (Ramsay). 


50  NEW  STUDIES  IX  ACTS 

Study  VII. — ^tsna  ^tUtts  a  (Brrat  Witntss  for  t^t  Jor^ 
siSnWoxl^.    9:1=31 

Fourth  Day:    Jesus  Sexds  One  of  the  Brothers  to 

Rabbi  Saul.    9:  10-19 

Rabbi  Saul  was  conducted  to  the  residence  of  some  leader  of  the 
ghetto  who  was  doubtless  prepared  to  entertain  suitably  the  distin- 
guished representative  of  the  Jerusalem  sanhedrin.  The  Jerusalem 
rabbi  was  a  strange  guest !  Read  v.  9.  By  and  by  he  fell  asleep 
and  dreamed  that  he  saw  a  man  named  Ananias  come  in,  speak  to 
him,  and  restore  his  sight.  He  awoke  and  found  it  only  a  dream. 
He  was  a  blind  man  still!  Then  he  heard  steps.  A  visitor  was 
announced,  and  the  servant  pronounced  the  name  "Ananias."  Rabbi 
Saul  felt  friendly  hands  laid  on  him,  heard  a  voice  say,  "Brother 
Saul,"  and  in  Jesus'  name  bid  him  see  again.  He  suddenly  found 
himself  looking  into  the  face  of  a  fellow  Xazarene,  a  devout  Phari- 
see like  himself  (22:  12).  He  received  from  his  visitor  the  rite  that 
inducted  him  into  the  new  fraternity  and  took  his  place  among 
those  whom  he  had  come  to  persecute. 

Read  carefully  w.  10-18.  Why  mention  the  fact  that  Saul  was 
praying  (v.  11)?  Had  he  not  prayed  before?  What  thoughts  were 
probably  uppermost  in  Saul's  mind  during  the  three  days  of  blind- 
ness? Saul  knows  how  those  who  "bear  the  name  before  Israel" 
have  to  suffer  (vv.  15-16). 

This  experience  on  the  Damascus  road  always  afterward  seemed 
to  Saul  a  real  inters-iew  with  Jesus.  He  recognized  the  fact  that  he 
sometimes  had  trance-like  visions  (2  Cor,  12:  1-4),  but  this  Damas- 
cus experience  he  evidently  differentiated  from  sueh  visions,  for  he 
classified  it  with  the  appearances  of  Jesus  to  the  original  disciples  in 
the  days  immediately  after  the  resurrection.  Read  i  Cor.  15 :  4-8. 
The  effect  of  the  experience  on  the  character  of  Saul,  its  results  in 
the  life  of  the  early  church  through  Saul's  missionar>'  activit>-,  and 
its  ever-enlarging  influence  in  the  modern  world  through  Saul's 
literarj'  productions,  all  make  it  highly  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
the  Spirit  of  Jesus  met  the  spirit  of  Saul  and  presumably  in  such  a 
way  as  to  produce  certain  effects  in  Saul's  physical  environment. 

The  experience  of  Saul  and  the  experience  of  Ananias  give  hints 
as  to  the  way  in  which  Jesus  spends  His  time.  He  is  working  upon 
the  lives  of  men  none  the  less  really  because  less  conspicuously 
than  in  the  cases  of  Ananias  and  Saul. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  SI 

Study  VII. — ^t&ufi  ^elcctg  a  0reat  Witntm  for  t!)e  Joi:* 
eiffn^orlti.    9:1-31 

Fifth  Day:    Rabbi  Saul  Begins  to  Witness.    9 :  19-25 

Saul  probably  left  the  house  on  Straight  street  and  became  the 
guest  of  some  Nazarene,  perhaps  Ananias.  He  at  once  visited  the 
synagogue,  where  his  reputation  as  a  distinguished  rabbi  from  Jeru- 
salem brought  him  at  first  large  audiences.  Read  vv.  19-22,  in  order 
to  ascertain  what  his  main  contention  was.  How  did  he  "prove"  his 
point  ? 

At  about  this  period  in  Saul's  history  something  occurred  which 
seemed  of  importance  to  him.  Read  his  autobiographical  allusion 
to  it  in  Gal.  1:15-17.  It  is  uncertain  whether  he  meant  by  "Arabia" 
the  Sinaitic  peninsula  or  some  region  near  Damascus.  At  certain 
periods  of  history  the  term  Arabia  included  even  Damascus  itself. 
Whether  he  stayed  in  Arabia  longer  than  a  few  weeks  or  months 
is  also  uncertain.  Gal..i:  18  does  not  make  this  clear.  Certainly  he 
would  have  needed  physical  rest  after  the  nervous  shock  involved  in 
the  blinding  vision.  He  would  have  needed  also  time  for  a  thought- 
ful readjustment  of  his  religious  views  to  his  new  experience.  Is  it 
probable  that  he  could  have  written  such  an  epistle  as  that  to  the 
Romans  a  few  months  after  his  Damascus  experience? 

He  returned  from  Arabia  to  Damascus  (Gal.  i :  17)  and  soon  be- 
gan to  see  angry  faces  in  his  audiences,  like  those  that  Stephen  had 
seen  in  the  Jerusalem  synagogues.  Some  fanatics  of  the  ghetto 
plotted  to  assassinate  him,  and  for  a  time  by  day  and  night  men 
were  lurking  about  the  city  gates  with  daggers  under  their  cloaks. 
Read  vv.  23-25.  Is  there  any  evidence  in  2  Cor,  11:30-33  that  the 
authorities  of  the  ghetto  enlisted  the  city  police  in  their  effort  to 
dispose  of  Saul?  The  passage  just  cited  (especially  v.  30)  reads 
somewhat  as  if  Saul  were  ridiculed  for  the  undignified  manner  of 
his  escape. 

Saul's  testimony  was  based  on  his  personal  experience.  There  is 
much  value  in  the  historic  facts  connected  with  the  life,  death,  and 
resurrection  of  Jesus  to  which  we  can  call  attention,  but  the  gist  of 
our  testimony  must  be  some  personal  experience  interpreted  in  the 
light  of  these  historic  facts. 


S2  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  VlL—^/tiui  &cUct«  a  (0reat  Witxusa  for  t^t  Stn* 
ti^nWnxl^i*    9:1.31 

Sixth  Day:    Rabbi  Saul  Returns  to  Jerusalem  as  a 
Christian  Witness.    9:26-30 

For  two  reasons  Saul  wished  to  revisit  Jcnisalem.  The  first  is 
stated  by  himself  in  Gal.  i:i8.  His  remarkable  experience  with 
Jesus  had  convinced  him  that  Jesus  meant  him  to  be  an  apostle 
(read  i  Cor.  9:1).  If  he  was  an  apostle,  it  was  extremely  desirable 
that  he  should  come  to  an  understanding  with  the  other  apostles 
and  especially  with  their  leader,  Peter,  and  arrange  with  them  some 
plan  for  work.  One  wonders  whether  the  ex-fisherman  and  the 
rabbi,  so  similarly  forceful  in  character,  but  different  in  training, 
found  each  other  congenial.  At  a  later  period  they  came  into  col- 
lision (cf.  Gal.  2:11-14),  and  if  the  author  of  our  second  epistle  of 
Peter  was  the  apostle,  there  is  indication  that  the  fisherman  found 
difiiculty  in  following  the  train  of  thought  in  some  of  the  rabbi's 
letters  (2  Peter  3:15-16). 

A  second  reason  why  Saul  wished  to  revisit  Jerusalem  is  implied 
in  an  account  given  long  afterward  by  Saul  of  his  experience  at 
prayer  in  the  temple  during  the  time  of  his  visit  Read  Acts 
22:17-21.  Saul  hoped  that  he  could  lead  a  large  company  of  his  old 
Jerusalem  friends  among  the  rabbis  into  the  Nazarene  ranks.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  they  would  surely  be  convinced  by  his  experi- 
ence that  the  Christian  contention  was  just. 

Read  now  the  account  of  his  visit  in  9:26-30  and  see  how  dis- 
appointing it  was.  After  two  short  weeks  (Gal.  1:18)  the  visit 
came  to  an  abrupt  end. 

If  they  did  not  believe  that  Saul  was  a  genuine  disciple  (v.  26), 
what  did  they  think  was  his  reason  for  pretending  to  be  one  ?  Barna- 
bas and  Saul  probably  had  had  some  previous  acquaintance.  Notice 
that  Saul's  antagonists  were  from  the  same  class  that  had  furnished 
Stephen's  enemies  (cf.  6:9).  Do  you  see  any  reason  for  making 
Tarsus  his  destination?  These  two  weeks  were  probably  weeks  of 
rapid  growth  in  Saul's  religious  life.  From  James,  the  brother  of, 
Jesus,  he  had  opportunity  to  learn  many  things  about  the  personal 
life  of  the  Nazareth  family  (Gal.  1:19).  From  Peter  he  learned 
much  about  the  public  life  and  teaching  of  Jesus,  although  the  char- 
acteristic features  of  his  own  presentation  of  the  gospel,  he  always 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  53 


regarded  as  a  divine  gift  not  brought  to  him  through  any  human 
teacher  (Gal.  1:11-12). 

He  had  opportunity  also  to  recall  the  shameful  record  of  his  per- 
secuting fury,  to  visit  once  more  the  spot  where  he  had  stood  ex- 
ulting over  the  fate  of  Stephen. 

He  began  to  see  also  how  much  he  had  sacrificed  in  becoming  a 
Nazarene.  His  former  teacher,  Gamaliel,  probably  received  him 
coldly.  His  associates  among  the  rabbis  cast  him  utterly  off.  His 
father  probably  disinherited  him  and  made  him  feel  that  such  a  re- 
sult of  all  the  money  expended  upon  his  education  was  bitterly  dis- 
appointing. When  Saul  finally  got  safely  off  on  shipboard  at 
Cassarea,  bound  for  Tarsus,  he  had  leisure  to  count  up  his  losses — 
family,  friends,  property,  professional  ambitions — everything  was 
gone.  He  could  say,  as  he  did  later,  "I  have  suffered  the  loss  of 
all  things."    Read  Phil.  3:4-11. 

But  in  these  two  weeks  Saul  was  learning  to  take  on  his  heart 
the  burden  of  the  great  Gentile  world.  He  had  a  Pharisee's  con- 
tempt for  Gentiles.  He  could  not  in  a  week  nor  in  a  year  take  upon 
him  his  share  of  his  Lord's  interest  in  the  Gentiles.  Jesus  gradually 
put  the  burden  on  him.  In  his  trance  in  some  quiet  corner  of  the 
temple  colonnades  they  argued  about  it  (22:  17-21).  Saul  said:  "I 
want  to  stay  here  in  the  city.  Here  surely  is  to  be  my  first  and 
great  work,  here  among  the  rabbis  and  these  choice  people  of  Jeru- 
salem." "But,  Saul,"  said  Jesus  in  the  vision,  "the  Gentiles,  the 
Gentiles!  I  will  send  thee  far  hence  to  the  Gentiles!"  The  great 
world  was  the  burden  that  lay  upon  the  heart  of  Jesus — Corinth  and 
Ephesus  and  Rome,  their  slums  and  their  hordes  of  despairing 
slaves.  These  were  weeks  in  which  Saul  began  to  share  his  Lord's 
interest  in  the  great  Gentile  world,  to  be  the  apostle  of  which  finally 
became  his  chief  joy  and  glory. 


Jesus*  concern  to-day  is  for  the  great  world  ignorant  of  Him  and 
His  ideals;  for  its  great  cities  in  China  and  India,  their  narrow 
streets  filled  with  men  and  women,  their  little  children  growing  up 
in  lust  and  brutality.  It  is  not  with  Him  simply  a  matter  of  per- 
sonal pride,  an  ambition  to  see  the  enterprise  He  began  succeed,  but 
He  feels  the  same  great  personal  concern  for  the  people  themselves, 
for  the  men,  women  and  children.  Have  you  ever  solemnly  conse' 
crated  your  life  to  the  effort  to  secure  for  all  men  a  fair  chance  at 
all  good  things? 


54  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  VII. — ^tius  Selects  a  (Bvttit  Witntdii  for  tjie  for* 
tisnW  ovlti.    9:X-3X 

Seventh  Day:    Summary  of  Part  II.    9:31 

Think  to-day  for  a  few  moments  once  more  of  Saul's  interview 
with  Jesus.  Saul  was  soon  ready  to  sacrifice  everything  else  for  a 
more  intimate  acquaintance  with  Jesus  (Phil.  3:8-10).  What  per- 
sonal qualities  in  Jesus  did  Saul  find  so  attractive?  That  is,  what 
great  characteristics  of  Jesus  appear  in  this  interview? 

Note  also  to-day  the  progress  in  the  development  of  the  main  pur- 
pose of  the  book  that  has  been  made  in  Part  II.  Compare  9:  31  with 
1 : 8.  Persecution  has  abated  and  the  Nazarenes  are  rapidly  increas- 
ing in  number  throughout  Judaea,  Galilee  and  Samaria.  Note  Luke's 
emphasis  of  the  relation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  movement. 

"Paul  is  the  most  luminous  personality  in  the  history  of  primitive 
Christianity.  ...  In  the  opinion  of  the  great  majority  of  those 
who  have  studied  him  ...  he  was  the  one  who  understood  the 
Master  and  continued  His  work.  ...  We  regard  him  as  Christ's 
disciple,  as  the  apostle  who  not  only  worked  harder,  but  also  ac- 
complished more  than  all  the  rest  put  together.  It  was  Paul  who 
delivered  the  Christian  religion  from  Judaism." 

— Harnack  :    What  Is  Christianity  f 


PART  III 

THE  TESTIMONY  IS  BORNE  BY  GOD'S  DIRECTION  FOR 
THE  FIRST  TIME  TO  JEHOVAH-WORSHIPING  FOR- 
EIGNERS.   9:32—12:24 

Study  VIII. — ^Jehovah- Worshiping  Foreigners  in  Caesarea  Receive 
the  Testimony.    9:  32 — 11 :  18. 

Study  IX. — A  New  Christian  Center  Among  Foreigners  in  Syrian 
Antioch  and  a  Startling  Demonstration  in  the  Old  Center.  11: 19— 
12 :  24. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  57 

Study  VIII. — Jel^Dba^-^orgSipinff  Joreiffrurfi  xx[,  Caecatea 
Eeceibe  tl^e  Cefitimonp,    9 :  32—1 1 :  18 

First  Day:    Peter  and  the  Church  Prepared  for  a 
Forward  Movement.    9 :  32-43 

Luke  is  now  ready  to  describe  with  great  fullness  of  detail  the 
first  approach  to  foreigners,  and  before  doing  so  he  introduces  again, 
in  an  impressive  preliminary  paragraph,  the  person  who  is  to  be  the 
chief  actor.  Peter  ever  after  regarded  the  experience  which  he  was 
now  unconsciously  approaching  as  one  of  the  most  important  of  his 
life.  See  how  he  alludes  to  it  in  15 : 7.  For  an  experience  so  im- 
portant the  chief  actor  would  require  preparation,  and  an  account  of 
this  preparation  is  given  in  9 :  32-43.  Read  the  paragraph,  and  state 
how  the  experience  recorded  was  calculated  to  prepare  Peter  for  the 
forward  step  he  was  soon  to  take.  That  is,  put  yourself  in  Peter's 
place  and  Imagine  what  would  have  been  the  effect  of  these  two 
experiences  upon  him. 

Peter  had  left  Jerusalem  and  was  now  visiting  groups  of  Nazarenes 
in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Perhaps  in  all  these  communities  he  was 
already  teaching  his  collection  of  instructive  anecdotes  about  Jesus, 
which  seem  to  have  been  later  set  in  order  by  his  assistant,  John 
Mark,  and  which,  so  arranged,  are  probably  preserved  in  our  Gospel 
of  Mark.  He  is  also  exercising  the  same  healing  power  in  these 
country  churches  for  which  he  had  been  famous  in  Jerusalem  (cf. 
5:  15-16).  Among  Peter's  anecdotes  concerning  Jesus'  healing  power 
was  the  one  preserved  for  us  in  Mark  2 :  1-12.  Read  it  and  com- 
pare it  with  the  somewhat  similar  experience  of  Peter  with  a  palsied 
man  here  in  vv.  32-35.  What  differences  do  you  note  in  the  method 
of  procedure  in  the  two  cases?  What  was  Peter's  inner  experience 
as  he  faced  the  paralytic  ?  What  inner  experience  enabled  him  to  say, 
"Jesus  Christ  is  healing  thee"  (v.  34)  ? 

Here  is  a  man  so  intimately  associated  with  Jesus  Christ  as  to 
raise  men  out  of  helplessness  and  set  them  at  work  (v.  34).  Our 
ability  to  help  men  morally  to  their  feet  is  in  proportion  to  the 
closeness  of  our  alliance  with  Jesus  Christ. 


Chapters  9:32-11:24,  27;  A.  D.  38-40  (Zahn), 


58  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  VIII. — 3re^obaf)=^or6l)ipinff  jForeiffnetjj  in  C«fiarea 
Eeceitoe  tU  Cegtimonp*    9 :  32—1 X :  X  8 

Second  Day:    Peter  and  the  Church  Prepared  for  a 
Forward  Movement  (Concluded).    9:32-43 

Peter's  spiritual  experience  of  Jesus'  nearness  to  him  in  Lydda 
was  intensified  by  a  more  remarkable  experience  in  Joppa.  There, 
too,  he  found  himself  in  a  situation  similar  to  one  in  which  he,  with 
two  other  disciples,  had  seen  Jesus  exhibit  remarkable  power.  Read 
Mark  5 :  35-43,  and  compare  it  with  vv,  36-42  here  in  Acts.  What 
similarities  and  differences  do  you  note  in  the  method  of  procedure 
in  the  two  cases?  Through  what  psychological  process  do  you  con- 
ceive Peter's  mind  to  have  passed  in  this  experience? 

It  was  not  Peter  alone  who  needed  preparation  for  the  forward 
step  to  be  described  in  the  next  chapter,  but  the  entire  body  of 
Nazarenes.  We  can  scarcely  imagine  how  the  Jewish  sense  of 
decency  would  be  outraged  by  such  intercourse  with  foreigners  as 
Peter  was  soon  to  have  with  Cornelius.  (Read  11:1-3.)  This 
shock  must  have  been  greatly  mitigated  by  God's  evident  endorse- 
ment of  Peter  on  the  verge  of  this  experience.  It  was  particularly 
advantageous  to  have  this  endorsement  given  in  communities  so 
strongly  Jewish  as  were  Lydda  and  Joppa.  Palestine  was  largely 
influenced  by  Greek  civilization.  Many  towns  had  a  large  Gentile 
element  in  their  population  (cf.  Matt.  10:  5),  but  these  two  towns 
were  strongly  Jewish.  The  occurrences  in  these  two  cities  influ- 
enced not  only  the  cities  themselves,  but  also  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. This  fact  is  especially  emphasized  in  the  case  of  Lydda.  All 
the  Jews  in  the  plain  of  "The  Sharon"  became  Christians  (v.  35). 

It  was  while  Peter  was  going  regularly  about  "throughout  all 
parts"  that  he  "came  down  also"  to  the  emergencies  in  Lydda  and 
Joppa,  and  then  into  the  great  opportunity  in  Caesarea.  To  the 
man  in  close  touch  with  God  the  commonplace  routine,  which  is  a 
product  of  the  infinite  ingenuity  of  God,  may  lead  at  any  moment 
into  the  emergency  and  the  unusual  oppoxtunity. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  59 

Study  VIII. — 3'fI)o^aI)'l^or£fMpin9f  iForet^nerfi  in  Caecarea 
Eeceibe  t\it  Cefitimonp.    9 :  32—1 1:18 

Third  Day  :   God  Prepares  a  Jehovah-Worshiping  Gen- 
tile TO  Receive  the  Testimony.    10:1-8 

The  Jews  were  shrewd  business  men,  as  they  are  to-day,  and 
Palestine  was  a  poor  country  for  business  enterprises.  Consequently 
the  Jews  in  large  numbers  had  left  Palestine  and  settled  in  the  great 
business  centers  of  the  world.  They  carried  their  religion  with  them 
and  its  central  institution,  the  synagogue.  In  many  of  these  syna- 
gogues on  the  Sabbath  there  might  have  been  seen  in  the  audience, 
perhaps  seated  by  themselves,  a  group  of  Gentiles.  They  were  not 
Jewish  proselytes,  but  persons  who,  weary  of  the  pagan  religions, 
had  been  attracted  by  the  monotheism  and  higher  ethical  standards 
of  the  Jewish  faith.  They  did  not  care  to  make  the  political  and 
social  sacrifice  involved  in  becoming  Jewish  proselytes,  but  they  wor- 
shiped Jehovah,  and  probably  to  some  extent  adapted  their  social 
and  domestic  life  to  Jewish  standards,  else  their  presence  in  the  syna- 
gogue would  not  have  been  tolerated.  They  are  called,  in  the  book 
of  Acts,  "devout  persons"  or  "those  that  fear  God." 

The  more  conservative  Jews  probably  had  no  social  intercourse 
with  these  Gentile  worshipers.  Some  were  less  conservative,  for 
we  know  that  a  pious  Jewess  in  South  Galatia  allowed  her  daughter 
to  marry  one  of  them.  (See  Acts  16:  1-3;  2  Tim.  i:  5;  3:  I5-)  No 
one,  however,  seems  to  have  supposed  that  these  Jehovah-worshiping 
Gentiles  could  have  any  share  in  the  coming  "kingdom  of  God." 

It  was  these  Jehovah-worshiping  foreigners  who  were  destined  to 
be  the  first  foreigners  to  receive  the  testimony.  With  these  facts  in 
mind,  read  10 :  1-8.  Note  the  "devout"  person  who  is  mentioned,  in 
addition  to  the  captain's  family.  Probably  there  were  others  like 
him  in  the  cohort.  Note  on  the  map  the  location  of  Csesarea  and 
Joppa.    Csesarea  was  as  thoroughly  Gentile  as  Joppa  was  Jewish. 

It  is  in  the  leisure  and  mood  of  the  prayer  hour  that  God  finds 
opportunity  to  draw  near  to  the  soul  with  His  message  (w.  9,  30). 


(So  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  VIII. — ^Telia^al^^l^orfiil^ipinff  lotti^ntxti  in  Caegarea 
Utttint  tl)e  Ccfiitimonp.    9 :  32—1 1:18 

Fourth  Day  :    God  Prepares  Peter  to  Testify  Before  a 
Jehovah-Worshiping  Gentile,    id  :  9-23 

The  day  after  the  captain's  vision  in  Caesarea,  Peter  in  Joppa  is 
on  the  oriental  house-top,  in  the  seclusion  afforded  by  its  protecting 
rampart,  for  noonday  prayer.  He  can  look  out  upon  the  blue  Medi- 
terranean, with  its  white-sailed  ships.  As  he  is  praying  he  has  a 
vision  in  which  a  great  sail,  or  sheet,  filled  with  strange  contents  is 
lowered  from  the  blue  sky.  A  voice  from  the  sky  commands  Peter 
to  do  something  against  which  his  religious  nature,  trained  for  many 
years  to  regard  certain  foods  as  religiously  defiling,  revolts.  Read 
carefully  vv.  9-16.  Was  there  anything  significant  to  Peter  in  the 
place  from  which  these  "unclean"  animals  came  and  into  which  they 
were  received? 

While  Peter  was  wondering  what  the  significance  of  his  strange 
vision  could  be,  he  heard  the  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  on  the  pavement 
below,  and  was  seized  with  a  conviction  that  he  was  wanted  there. 
Read  vv.  17-22. 

Peter  lodged  the  three  Gentiles  without  scruples,  and  the  next 
morning,  with  six  Jewish  Christians  from  Joppa,  whom  he  took 
along  to  be  witnesses  of  whatever  God  might  be  going  to  do,  he 
began  the  ride  to  Csesarea.  The  ten  men  reached  Caesarea  about 
three  p.  m.  (v.  30)  of  the  next  day.    Read  vv.  22-23. 

If  you  have  a  little  money  to  invest  and  have  a  friend  who  does 
business  in  a  large  way,  that  brings  many  chances  for  profitable  in- 
vestment constantly  before  him,  you  call  on  him  often  if  he  enjoys 
having  you  do  so.    When  you  call  on  him,  you  listen  to  him. 

So  when  you  come  before  God  every  day,  listen  to  Him.  The  spir- 
itual industries  of  the  world  are  open  before  Him.  He  has  a  future 
for  you,  some  broader  outlook  to  give  you,  some  chance  for  the  in- 
restment  of  yourself  that  you  have  not  yet  begun  to  realize. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  61 

Study  VIIL— STeJobaJ^-l^nrfiiljipmff  laxtisntxi  in  Caeaiarca 
Eeccitje  tl^e  (ZTefittmonp.    9 :  32— X  1:18 

Fifth  Day:     Peter's  Testimony  Before  the  Italian 
Captain  AND  His  Friends.    10:24-43 

When  the  group  of  horsemen  reached  the  captain's  residence,  the 
captain  came  out  in  person  to  meet  them,  and  Peter  had  the  ex- 
tremely novel  experience  of  being  greeted  by  a  Roman  with  a  pro- 
longed salaam.  He  politely  protested,  and  then — with  a  strange  sen- 
sation— perhaps  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  crossed  the  threshold 
of  a  foreigner's  house.  The  captain,  talking  to  him  as  they  walked 
through  the  atrium,  presented  him  to  a  group  of  gentlemen  com- 
posed of  the  captain's  kinsmen  and  military  friends.  Peter  and  Cor- 
nelius gave  an  account  of  the  remarkable  experiences  they  had 
passed  through  during  the  past  few  days,  and  then  Peter  began  his 
testimony.  Read  vv.  24-34.  What  was  probably  the  attitude  of 
Cornelius'  kinsmen  and  friends  to  the  Jewish  religion?  How  did 
they  happen  to  be  assembled  at  just  this  hour? 

Read  Peter's  address  in  vv.  35-43,  and  note  whether  it  contains  any 
new  ideas.  In  addresses  to  Jewish  audiences  Peter  seems  to  have 
made  his  appeal  to  the  conscience  in  connection  with  the  charge  that 
they  had  killed  God's  Messiah.  This  charge  he  is  not  able  to  make 
here.    What  takes  its  place  here  as  an  appeal  to  conscience? 

This  great  leader  of  the  Nazarenes  was  learning,  what  others  since 
from  time  to  time  have  had  to  learn,  namely,  that  God  proposes  to 
save  a  larger  number  than  men  have  expected  to  see  saved.  Men 
give  up  their  fellowmen  far  sooner  than  God  does.  Are  there  any 
persons  in  your  circle  of  acquaintances,  whom  you  never  think  of  as 
possibly  becoming  Christians?  Do  you  habitually  think  of  every 
person  you  meet  as  one  meant  by  God  to  be  a  disciple  of  Jesus 
Christ? 


62  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  VIIL— 3f^l)ot)al)-^orfil)tping:  iForeiffners;  in  Cajiarea 
Etcettje  tl)e  Cefitinumj).    9 :  32—1 1:18 

Sixth  Day:     God  Approves  the  Presentation  of  the 

Testimony  to  Jehovah-Worshiping 

Gentiles.    10:34-48 

Peter  in  his  first  sentence  acknowledged  his  change  of  view-point. 
He  recognized  that  any  Jehovah-worshiping  Gentile  who  lived  such 
a  life  as  that  of  Cornelius  was  "acceptable"  to  God,  that  is,  might 
have  a  chance  to  believe  in  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  and  begin  to 
look  for  the  coming  kingdom  (v.  35).  He  used  the  familiar  dox- 
ology  with  a  new  sense  of  its  breadth  of  application  (v.  36).  Peter 
assumed  that  these  gentlemen  were  familiar  with  the  history  of  the 
Nazarene  movement  (v.  37).  Csesarea  was  a  natural  outlet  for 
Nazarenes  leaving  the  country  by  sea.  In  all  probability  some  of 
them  had  spoken  in  the  Caesarean  synagogue,  but  no  one  had  dreamed 
that  their  message  could  be  one  of  good  news  to  any  except  Jews. 

What  features  in  the  character  and  life  of  Jesus  seem  to  have  im- 
pressed Peter  most  strongly? 

Peter  found  it  pertinent  to  the  situation  of  these  Jehovah-worship- 
ing Gentiles  to  assure  them  that  Jesus  was  the  one  in  whom  were 
fulfilled  the  prophecies  that  they  were  accustomed  to  hear  read  in  the 
synagogue  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath  (v.  43). 

It  was  reasonably  clear  to  all  concerned  that  God  had  brought  this 
witness  to  the  captain's  house,  but  all  dciubt  was  removed  when  cer- 
tain well-known  signs  of  agitation  began  to  appear  in  the  audience. 
Read  vv.  44-48.  What  is  Peter's  argument?  How  do  you  account 
for  the  fact  that  the  Jews  were  so  narrow-minded  as  v.  45  indicates? 

God's  love  is  like  the  tide  of  the  sea  as  it  enters  the  harbor, 
ready  to  lift  all  the  shipping — the  great  ocean  liner  and  the  multi- 
tude of  smaller  craft,  the  millionaire's  palatial  private  yacht  and 
the  old  garbage  scow. 

"He  findeth  not  who  seeks  his  own, 
The  soul  is  lost  that's  saved  alone. 
Not  on  one  favored  forehead  fell 
Of  old  the  fire-tongued  miracle. 
But  flamed  o'er  all  the  thronging  host 
The  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

— Whittier:   The  Meetm*^ 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  63 

Study  VIII. — ^t^otiKhWavsUpins  jForetipierfi!  in  Caecatea 
Sleceibe  t|)e  Cefitimonp.    9 :  32—1 1 :  18 

Seventh  Day  :    The  Jerusalem  Believers  Endorse  the 
Forward  Movement.    ii:i-i8 

The  attitude  of  the  Jerusalem  church  toward  Gentiles  was  evi- 
dently that  of  all  orthodox  Jews.  According  to  the  Talmud,  the 
"heathen  had  fallen  away  from  the  service  of  God,  had  lost  human 
nature,  and  been  transformed  into  animal  nature,  so  that  they  were 
morally  and  physically  unclean."  "God  could  not  speak  through 
their  consciences."  "If  they  should  repent  of  their  sins  they  would 
receive  no  forgiveness."  "It  was  not  God's  purpose  to  have  heathen 
in  His  kingdom  unless  by  circumcision  they  became  Jews."  (Weber: 
Die  Lehren  des  Talmud.)  Doubtless  there  were  Jews  who  would 
not  have  subscribed  to  some  of  these  statements,  but  the  statements 
probably  expressed  the  general  attitude  toward  the  Gentile. 

The  Jews  felt  that  physical  contact  could  produce  moral  contami- 
nation, and  therefore  avoided,  as  far  as  possible,  all  association  with 
Gentiles.  Particularly  in  entering  a  Gentile's  house  they  ran  risk 
of  polluting  themselves  (cf.  John  18:28).  To  eat  at  a  Gentile's 
table  was  a  most  flagrant  offense  because,  in  addition  to  the  fellow- 
ship involved  in  the  simple  act  of  eating  together,  there  was  the 
certainty  that  the  Gentile  did  not  regard  the  distinction  between 
clean  and  unclean  foods,  and  would  very  likely  even  have  something 
on  his  table  that  had  come  from  the  pagan  temple.  (Cf.  i  Cor. 
10:27-28.)  The  most  scandalous  feature  of  Peter's  conduct  in 
Csesarea  was  not  his  preaching  to  Gentiles,  but  his  eating  with  them. 

Read  11 :  I-18.  Did  Luke  see  any  significance  in  the  time  at  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  "fell  on"  these  Gentile  believers  (10:44;  ii:iS)? 
What  are  the  strong  points  in  Peter's  defense  of  his  action?  What 
is  the  meaning  of  the  last  statement  in  v.  18? 

These  Jerusalem  Christians  were  slowly  solving  the  diflSctilt  prob- 
lem of  holding  loyally  to  what  they  had  always  supposed  to  be 
God^s  truth,  and  at  the  same  time  yielding  candid  consideration  and 
hearty  acceptance  to  new  revelations  of  God's  truth,  which  at  first 
sight  seemed  inconsistent  with  the  old.  That  the  Spirit  of  God  pa- 
tiently guided  them  in  this  critical  period  is  the  comfort  of  all  those 
who  find  themselves  similarly  situated. 


64  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  IX. — 3t  Jl^leto  Cl^rifitian  Center  ^mctiff  jForeiffnerg  in 
S>prian  9lntiocl^  anti  a  ^tarllitvff  £)em0nfi!trattnn  in  tU  (Btn 
Center.    IX:  19—12:24 

First  Day:     Large  Numbers  of  Jehovah-Worshiping 

Foreigners  Become  Christians  in  Syrian 

Antioch.    II :  19-30 

Read  vv.  19-21,  noting  on  the  map  the  places  from  which  the 
preachers  came  and  to  which  they  went.  In  v.  20  some  manuscripts 
read  "Greeks,"  as  is  indicated  in  the  American  Revised  Version, 
and  others  "Grecian  Jews."  The  context  seems  to  require  the  con* 
elusion  that  the  persons  indicated  were  Jehovah-worshiping  Gentiles. 

New  ideas  and  inventions  seem  frequently  to  appear  almost  simul- 
taneously in  the  minds  of  persons  far  removed  from,  and  wholly  in- 
dependent of,  each  other.  At  about  the  time  when  Peter  brought 
the  testimony  to  Cornelius,  venturesome  spirits,  originally  from 
North  Africa  and  the  island  of  Cyprus,  dared  to  address  their  testi- 
mony to  the  Jehovah-worshiping  Gentiles  whom  they  found  in  the 
synagogues  of  Antioch  on  the  Orontes.  We  do  not  know  how  these 
nameless  pioneers  of  Christian  liberty  came  to  do  as  they  did  in 
Antioch.  Jews  had  enjoyed  special  privileges  in  that  city,  and  it 
may  be  that  the  line  of  distinction  between  Jew  and  Gentile  was 
less  sharply  drawn  there  than  elsewhere.  In  any  case  the  testimony 
was  presented  to  the  Gentiles  of  the  synagogue  and  aroused  great 
enthusiasm  among  them. 

Read  vv.  21-24,  and  note  every  point  which  indicates  Luke's  in- 
terest in  showing  that  God  approved  this  new  departure.  Luke  is 
approaching  the  point  in  his  narrative  at  which  he  will  have  occa- 
sion to  describe  the  attack  made  by  a  certain  Jewish  minority  in 
the  Jerusalem  church  upon  the  Gentile  Christians,  and  so  takes  pains 
to  show  that  the  original  attitude  of  the  church  as  a  whole  was 
favorable  to  the  new  element.  Note  in  vv.  22-30  everything  that 
shows  friendliness  between  the  Jerusalem  and  Antioch  churches. 

"The  Lord"  is  the  chief  actor  in  this  new  beginning.  It  was  to 
Him  that  they  were  "added"  (v.  24)  as  so  much  working  capital  to 
be  invested  in  the  great  enterprise  to  which  He  was  devoting  Him- 
self. 


Chapters  9:32-11:24,  27;  A.  D.  38-40  (Zahn). 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  65 

Study  IX. — ^  iltlcto  C|)rifittan  Center  ^tmonff  jForeig:nerg  in 
^prian  9lnttocl)  aati  a  ^tartlitiff  ^emonctration  in  tl)e  ©lU 
Center.    11:19—12:24 

Second  Day  :    Large  Numbers  of  Jehovah-Worshiping 

Foreigners    Become    Christians    in    Syrian 

Antioch  (Concluded).     11:19-30 

Not  the  least  important  feature  of  this  new  work  in  Antioch  was 
its  contribution  to  the  development  of  Saul.  As  the  new  work  grew, 
Barnabas  remembered  his  old  friend,  Rabbi  Saul.  He  knew  that,  in 
connection  with  Saul's  remarkable  experience  near  Damascus,  there 
had  been  significant  hints  that  Saul  was  to  be  connected  with  a 
great  turning  of  the  Gentiles  to  the  Messiah.  How  this  was  to  be 
brought  about  probably  neither  Barnabas  nor  Saul  had  known. 
These  new  developments  in  Antioch  seemed  to  Barnabas  to  throw 
some  light  on  the  subject.  He,  therefore,  left  Antioch  for  a  few 
weeks,  visited  Saul  in  Tarsus,  and  described  to  him  the  situation  in 
Antioch.  Since  Saul  had  left  Jerusalem  he  seems  to  have  been 
working  quietly  in  Syria  and  Cilicia  (Gal.  i:2i),»at  first  exclu- 
sively among  Jews,  for  Luke  regards  Peter  and  the  Antioch  preach- 
ers as  the  first  to  approach  the  Gentiles.  He  now  returned  to  An- 
tioch and  for  a  year  he  and  his  friend  worked  together  in  this  great 
church,  composed  of  both  Jewish  Christians  and  converted  Gentiles 
of  the  synagogue.  In  what  particulars  does  it  seem  to  you  that  this 
year  of  experience  in  Antioch  contributed  to  Saul's  development? 

The  title  "Christians"  (v.  26)  is  not  one  that  would  naturally 
have  been  assumed  by  the  believers  themselves.  It  seems  rather  to 
have  been  applied  to  them  by  outsiders  who  recognized  that  the  chief 
interest  of  the  believers  seemed  to  be  in  one  called  "Christ,"  Would 
unbelieving  Jews  or  Greeks  be  more  likely  to  apply  the  title  to  them? 

Probably  almost  all  churches  of  any  size  had  groups  of  prophets. 
Cf.  Acts  13 :  2.  They  were  men  to  whom  messages  from  God  came 
sometimes  suddenly,  and  who  were  accustomed  to  speak  in  public 
meetings  in  obedience  to  sudden  impulse.  In  this  way  they  some- 
times introduced  confusion  into  the  public  service.  Read  Paul's  in- 
struction to  such  in  i  Cor.  14:29-33. 

Does  it  give  you  such  satisfaction  as  these  Jerusalein  believers 
evidently  felt  to  hear  that  new  regions  are  being  opened  to  the  in- 
fluence of  Christianity? 


Chapter  11:25,  A.  D.  43  (Zahn). 


66  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  IX. — ^  ilt^eto  CI)rifitian  Center  Slmonff  jFareiffnerg  in 
S)prtan  ^ntioci)  anH  a  Startling  £)eman0tratton  in  tl)e  OIH 
Center.     11:19—12:24 

Third  Day  :   A  Startling  Demonstration  in  Jerusalem. 

12: 1-24 

Before  leaving  Jerusalem  and  beginning  an  account  of  the  spread 
of  the  testimony  from  the  new  center  in  Antioch,  Luke  narrates  a 
most  impressive  incident  in  the  history  of  the  Jerusalem  church. 
To-day  read  the  entire  section  (12:  1-24)  and  decide  why  Luke  in- 
serted the  episode,  and  how  it  serves  the  main  purpose  of  the  book. 

"The  word  of  God  grew  and  multiplied"  (v.  24).  There  is  all 
about  us  a  thinking,  speaking  God,  not  one  who  spoke  1900  years 
ago,  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  other  subjects,  as  a  man  some- 
times writes  a  book  and  then  puts  the  subject  out  of  his  mind.  He 
proposes  to  "multiply  the  word,"  that  is,  not  to  multiply  copies  of 
the  scriptures,  but  to  increase  the  number  of  those  whose  lives  are 
such  as  to  constitute  them  incarnate  expressions  of  the  thought  of 
God,  until  the  civilization  of  the  Brotherly  Man  shall  become  the 
civilization  of  brotherly  men  and  prevail  in  all  the  earth. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  ^ 

Study  IX.— -a  Bm  Clbricftian  Center  amonff  jr0reis:ner£(  in 
^prian  ^ntiocl)  anti  a  ^tartUns  demonstration  in  tfie  OlU 
Center.    IX  :X9— 12:24 

Fourth  Day:    A  Startling  Demonstration  in  Jerusa- 
lem (Continued),    12:1-24 

Begin  to  look  at  the  section  to-day  in  detail.  For  the  first  time 
opposition  arises  from  the  strictly  civil  authorities  and  under  most 
interesting  circumstances.  King  Herod,  who  was  a  grandson  of  the 
great  Herod,  had  been  brought  up  with  the  boys  of  the  imperial 
household  at  Rome,  and  had  acquired  spendthrift  habits  that  brought 
him  to  bankruptcy.  His  connection  with  the  imperial  family  re- 
sulted later  in  his  receiving  Palestinian  territory,  and  finally  the  title 
"king."  At  the  time  indicated  in  Acts,  he  was  a  man  over  fifty 
years  of  age.  He  had  laid  aside  his  profligate  habits  and  was,  par- 
ticularly when  resident  in  Jerusalem,  a  kind  of  amateur  Pharisee. 

Jerusalem  was  filled  with  thousands  of  bigoted  Jews  from  all  over 
the  world  who  had  come  up  to  observe  the  Passover.  They  were 
naturally  irritated  by  knowing  that  the  week  was  being  observed  by 
the  Nazarenes  as  the  anniversary  of  the  death  and  alleged  resurrec- 
tion of  their  false  Christ.  King  Herod,  seeing  how  obnoxious  the 
Nazarenes  were  to  his  good  friends,  the  Pharisees,  killed  a  promi- 
nent Nazarene  and  then  proceeded  boldly  to  arrest  the  great  apostolic 
leader  himself.  He  probably  knew  the  difficulty  experienced  by  the 
sanhedrin  in  dealing  with  this  heresy  in  the  past,  but  was  convinced 
that  it  could  be  disposed  of  in  short  order  when  once  the  iron  hand 
of  the  civil  authorities  took  the  matter  up  in  a  businesslike  fashion. 

Why  should  God  not  have  saved  James  as  well  as  Peter?  What 
was  probably  the  effect  of  the  death  of  James  on  the  life  of  the 
church  at  this  juncture,  when  a  new  campaign  of  extension  was 
just  about  to  begin  (13:  2)  ?  Consider  the  possible  effect  of  James' 
death  upon  the  life  and  work  of  his  brother  John. 

We  have  seen  in  our  day  a  marvelous  deliverance  from  death  ex- 
perienced by  the  legations  and  missionaries  in  Peking,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  terrible  sacrifice  of  others.  In  the  modem  instance 
both  the  deliverance  and  the  sacrifice  have  been  on  a  larger  scale 
than  that  of  apostolic  times.  Perhaps  they  are  preliminary  to  cor- 
xespoxLdingly  greater  achievements  in  evangelisixu 


68  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  IX. — 3L  J^cto  Chvistim  Center  9lmonff  jForeifftierg  In 
^prian  ^ntiocb  anH  a  ^tartUna;  SDemanfitration  in  ti)e  (Bin 
Center.    11:19—12:24 

Fifth  Day  :   A  Startling  Demonstration  in  Jerusalem 
(Concluded).     12:1-24 

King  Herod  found  himself  dealing  with  forces  that,  with  silent 
ease,  thwarted  all  his  precautions.  Behind  this  movement  there  is 
an  Invisible  Power,  which  makes  all  opposition  futile!  The  king 
cannot  keep  his  prisoner  under  lock  and  guard!  In  the  midst  of 
his  triumph,  while  the  eastern  sun  in  the  open  theatre  falls  on  his 
glittering  robes  and  the  applause  of  the  people  fills  his  willing  ears, 
a  silent  thrust  of  pain  cuts  short  his  triumph,  and  he  is  found,  upon 
examination,  to  be  the  victim  of  a  loathsome  disease  from  which 
he  dies  five  days  later  (Josephus  :  Antiquities  19:8:2).  Read  vv. 
20-23.  is  this  simply  a  contest  between  an  Infinite  Autocrat  and  a 
finite  autocrat?  What  are  the  motives  that  give  character  to  the 
actions  of  each  of  the  contestants? 

With  the  end  of  this  section  (12:  24)  the  first  part  of  the  history 
of  the  new  movement  is  brought  to  a  close.  After  this,  starting 
from  a  new  center,  Syrian  Antioch,  a  new  leader  will  carry  the 
testimony  far  afield  to  the  great  foreign  world.  The  movement  has 
succeeded  in  Syria.  Its  invisible  Originator  and  Guide  has  proven 
irresistible.  Priests,  sanhedrin  and  kings  go  down  before  His  in- 
visible presence.  From  this  point  on  the  progress  of  the  campaign 
of  testimony  in  extra- Syrian  regions  will  be  described.  Look  briefly 
back  at  the  steps  taken  in  the  great  movement  since  i :  8.  How 
many  steps  are  there? 

Underneath  all  of  life  is  the  unwavering  will  of  God  which  bears 
humanity  irresistibly  on  to  its  divinely  appointed  and  glorious  des- 
tiny. 


Herod's  death,  A.  D.  44. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  69 

Study  IX.— ^  JQeto  CI;r(6tian  Center  amonff  Joreiffnercf  in 
^prian  ^ntiocj)  anti  a  ^tartlinff  £)emonfi;tration  in  t^t  (Bin 
Center.    II  ;19— 12:24 

Sixth  Day  :    The  Letter  of  James 

Before  turning  away  from  Palestine,  to  enter  the  great  Roman 
world  with  Rabbi  Saul,  it  will  be  interesting  to  glance  briefly  at  a 
piece  of  literature  which  is  quite  commonly  thought  to  have  been 
produced  in  Jerusalem  by  James,  the  Lord's  brother.  According  to 
this  view  of  its  authorship,  it  was  probably  written  at  about  the 
time  we  have  now  reached  in  the  narrative  of  Acts,  and  the  picture 
it  presents  of  Jewish  life  at  this  time  may  well  be  considered. 

Read  the  following  references  explaining  the  situation  of  the  read- 
ers addressed  in  this  letter.  They  were  Jewish  Christians  outside  of 
Palestine  (1:1),  who  doubtless  highly  esteemed  the  pastor  of  the 
Jerusalem  church.  Many  of  them  were  accustomed  to  see  and  hear 
him  when  they  visited  Jerusalem  to  attend  the  yearly  religious  feasts 
of  the  Jews.  They  had  organized  churches  in  which  the  officers 
were  called  "elders"  (5:  14).  They  were  in  the  midst  of  persecu- 
tion, the  thought  of  which  was  uppermost  in  James'  mind  when  he 
began  to  write  (1:2).  Their  situation  was  so  perplexing  that  they 
did  not  know  which  way  to  turn  for  counsel  (1:5).  They  were  in 
such  distress  that  they  were  tempted,  like  Job,  to  accuse  God  of 
trying  to  overwhelm  them  (i:  13-15).  Their  chief  persecutors  were 
the  rich  orthodox  Jews,  who  had  not  believed  in  Jesus,  and  who 
were  continually  bringing  them  before  the  synagogue  authorities 
(2:6),  and  blaspheming  the  Name  in  which  the  Nazarenes  had  been 
baptized  (2:  7,  cf.  Acts  2:  38).  These  rich  men  employed  them  and 
kept  back  their  wages  (5:4).  In  all  this  James  endeavored  to  en- 
courage them  by  assuring  them  that  the  Lord  would  come  to 
avenge  them  (5:7-9),  and  by  citing  the  patience  of  their  fore- 
fathers in  affliction  (5:  lo-ii). 

The  letter  presents  religion  as  a  certain  kind  of  daily  life.  It  is 
an  epistle  of  the  loving  life  (1:27;  2:14;  4:11).  One  needs  con- 
d:antly  to  remind  himself  that  genuine  religion  can  not  consist  in 
anything  else  than  a  daily  life  of  unselfish  thought,  word,  and  deed. 


A.  D.  50  (Zahn);  A.  D.  130  (Harnack). 


yo  'NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  IX. — ^  Itieto  Clirtfittan  Center  ^monji  §tixti^tx^  in 
^prtan  antioci)  anti  a  ^tartUnff  2I)emonflitrati0n  in  t|)e  ©in 
Center^    11:19—12:24 

Seventh  Day:    The  Letter  of  James  {Concluded) 

Constant  opposition,  persecution,  and  daily  debate  with  their  un- 
believing neighbors  had  engendered  a  contentious,  bitter  spirit.  They 
must  control  their  tempers  and  cultivate  meekness  (i :  19-21).  Their 
eagerness  to  shine  in  these  daily  debates  needed  rebuke  (3:  i),  for 
they  would,  in  the  course  of  them,  lose  control  of  their  tongues,  and 
say  bitter  things  (3 :  2-12).  Wise  men  would  realize  that  a  quiet,  con- 
sistent life  is  far  more  convincing  than  angry  argument  (3:  13-18). 

They  were  not  free  from  the  love  of  money  which  characterized 
the  nation.  Rich,  well-dressed  people  that  visited  their  Sabbath 
service  were  given  better  pews  than  those  assigned  to  poor  men 
(2:1-6).  The  bazaar  men,  who  traveled  from  city  to  city,  were 
absorbed  in  their  business,  and  forgot  the  speediness  with  which 
they  might  be  summoned  to  render  their  final  account  (4:13-15). 
The  poor  were  constantly  struggling  to  get  money,  oftentimes  per- 
haps what  was  due  them  as  wages.  There  seem  to  have  been  exhi- 
bitions of  violence  (4:  1-2).  Even  those  that  cried  out  to  God  for 
help  were  thoroughly  selfish  (4:3).  Their  love  of  money  and  of 
what  it  would  get  made  them  false  to  God  (4 : 4,  compare  Matt. 
6:24).    They  need  a  humbler,  soberer  spirit  (4:5-10). 

The  paragraph  2:  14-16  is  best  explained  on  the  supposition  that 
Paul  had  been  preaching  his  doctrine  of  righteousness  by  faith  in 
some  of  the  churches  now  addressed  by  James.  Perhaps  this  had 
been  done  during  his  residence  in  Syria  and  Cilicia  (Gal.  1:21). 
This  doctrine  was  one  very  easily  misrepresented,  as  is  evident  from 
Paul's  statement  some  years  later  in  Rom.  3 :  5-8. 

James  felt  the  necessity  of  correcting  this  misunderstanding  of 
Paul's  teaching,  and  in  so  doing  used  the  illustration  of  Abraham, 
which  was  a  favorite  one  with  Paul,  and  which  was,  therefore,  cur- 
rent among  those  now  addressed. 

This  letter  is  a  sturdy  protest  against  the  idea  that  there  is  value- 
in  high  ideals  apart  from  any  faithful  effort  to  realize  them  in 
daily  life.  How  many  things  we  think  of  doing,  but  never  do!  The 
next  time  you  think  of  doing  something  kind,  DO  IT. 


PART  IV 

THE  TESTIMONY  IS  BORNE  FOR  THE  FIRST  TIME  TO 
FOREIGNERS  THAT  HAVE  NO  CONNECTION  WITH 
THE  JEWISH  SYNAGOGUE.    12 :  25—16 :  5. 

Study  X. — In  South  Galatia  Paul  and  Barnabas  learn  that  Pagan 
Gentiles  May  Accept  the  Testimony.     12 :  25 — 14 :  20. 

Study  XI. — The  Jerusalem  Church  Indorses  the  New  Work 
Among  Gentiles.    14 :  21 — 16:  5. 


'NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  73 

Study  X.— ^n  ^outl)  (?5alatia  JJaul  mti  ^arnabafii  learn  Cbat 

|3affan  (Btntike  ifHap  Accept  tl)e  Ce6timonp»    12:25—14:20 

First  Day:     The  Testimony  Carried  Westward  from 

THE  New  Center.    12 :  25 — 13 : 4 

The  testimony  was  now  to  be  carried  swiftly  westward.  The 
general  situation  was  favorable  for  a  forward  movement  with  quick 
results,  (i)  The  witnesses  had  not  to  spend  several  years  learning 
a  new  language,  for  Greek  would  answer  everywhere.  (2)  They 
had  not  to  wait  months  for  passports,  but  could  go  everywhere  in 
the  empire  freely  on  the  great  Roman  roads  and  abundant  shipping. 
(3)  They  had  no  need  to  build  chapels,  but  found  in  the  Jewish 
synagogues  a  meeting-house  awaiting  them.  (4)  In  the  meeting- 
house they  found  a  Jewish  audience  thoroughly  trained  in  a  mono- 
theistic faith  and  expectant  of  a  Messiah.  (5)  On  the  edges  of  this 
audience  there  was  a  fringe  of  susceptible  Gentiles  already  familiar 
with  the  worship  of  Jehovah  and  with  the  Messianic  expectation, 
who  constituted  a  natural  means  of  connection  with  the  Gentile 
community.  (6)  The  presence  of  these  Gentiles  in  the  audience 
was  evidence  of  the  general  religious  unrest  among  the  Gentiles 
and  of  their  readiness  to  appreciate  something  higher  and  better 
than  their  native  faiths. 

Read  12:25 — 13:  5-  Remember  who  John  Mark  was  (12:12). 
It  was  he  who  preserved  Peter's  reminiscences  of  Jesus  which  have 
come  down  to  us  in  the  "Gospel  of  Mark." 

Note  what  was  said  about  "prophets"  in  Study  IX,  Second  Day. 
"Teachers"  probably  gave  systematic  instruction  without  waiting 
for  sudden  and  special  inspiration.  The  Hst  begins  with  Barnabas, 
the  distinguished  representative  of  the  Jerusalem  church,  and  ends 
with  Saul,  the  latest  arrival  and  perhaps  the  youngest. 

How  did  the  Holy  Spirit  say  this  (v.  2)  ?  Did  they  probably  plan 
a  route  for  the  missionaries  before  leaving  Antioch?  How  does  this 
effort  to  extend  Christianity  differ  from  previous  efforts?  Did  Bar- 
nabas and  Saul,  when  they  started,  expect  to  preach  to  Gentiles? 

A  group  of  prayerful  Brothers  probably  walked  the  sixteen  miles 
to  Seleucia,  the  harbor  town  of  Antioch,  and  waved  farewell  to  the 
three  missionaries  as  they  sailed  away  to  Cyprus.    Consult  the  map. 

The  Spirit  of  God  goes  before  the  witnesses  in  a  leadership  which 
no  man  is  able  to  exercise.  It  was  He  that  looked  out  westward 
through  the  wistful  eyes  of  the  prophets.  It  was  He  who  had  pre- 
pared Barnabas  and  Saul  and  now  "called'^  them. 


74  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  X.— ^n  i)Otttlb  (BbIkUu  JJattI  anU  ^amaiiag  learn  Cjijat 
Pajan  (Stntilta  Jlap  Accept  t^e  Cefitimonp.    12:25—14:20 

Second  Day:    Saul's  Leadership  Begins  in  a  Contest 
WITH  A  Magian.    13 :  5-13 

Read  vv.  4-6,  and  locate  on  the  map  the  places  mentioned.  What 
two  possible  reasons  for  selecting  Cyprus  as  their  first  destination 
are  suggested  by  4:36  and  11:20?  It  is  evident  from  11:19  that 
some  preaching  had  already  been  done  in  this  island.  Note  in  Col. 
4 :  ID  a  probable  reason  for  choosing  John  Mark  as  "minister"  or 
"attendant."  The  service  indicated  by  this  word  is  very  possibly 
catechetical  instruction  in  the  life  and  teaching  of  Jesus,  such  as 
might  have  been  considered  necessary  for  converts. 

They  may  have  preached  their  way  in  a  leisurely  fashion  through 
the  island  (v.  6),  perhaps  visiting  the  lumber  and  mining  towns 
for  which  the  island  was  famous,  if  there  were  any  Jewish  syna- 
gogues in  them.  If  there  were  any  Jehovah-worshiping  Gentiles  in 
these  synagogues,  doubtless  the  travelers  included  them  in  their  ap- 
peals just  as  they  had  been  accustomed  to  do  in  Antioch. 

Read  vv.  7-12.  Do  you  see  why  Luke  makes  so  much  of  this 
incident?  It  was  a  typical  contest  between  the  new  doctrine  and  a 
current  form  of  religious  or  semi-religious  faith  (Ramsay).  How- 
could  such  a  magian  gain  influence  ov^r  an  intelligent  (v.  7)  Roman 
official  like  the  pro-consul?  Remember  what  was  said  earlier  about 
the  Samaritan  magian  in  chapter  8.  The  pro-consul  was  probably 
a  Gentile  of  the  synagogue,  for  the  magian,  who  had  gained  such 
influence  over  him,  was  a  Jew  and  ostensibly  a  prophet  of  Jehovah. 
The  pro-consul  would  not  have  been  likely  to  hear  Barnabas  and 
Saul  anywhere  else  than  in  the  synagogue.  Why  was  the  magian 
opposed  to  the  new  prophets  (v.  8)  ?  This  study  will  be  continued 
to-morrow. 

"So  they,  being  sent  forth  by  the  Holy  Spirit"  (v.  4).  It  is  a 
comfort  in  times  of  discouragement  to  feel  a  conviction  that  one 
has  been  sent  by  God  to  his  work,  and  that  consequently  he  is  in 
the  risht  place,  whatever  its  difficulties  may  be. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  75 

Study  X.— ^Tn  ^outl)  (25alatia  JJatil  anH  ^amafias  learn  (ITiat 
JJaffan  (Stntilta  JHap  Accept  tl^e  Cectimanp^    12:25—14:20 

Third  Day:    Saul's  Leadership  Begins  in  a  Contest 
WITH  A  Magi  AN  (Concluded),^  13  *  5- 13 

Saul  felt  a  strong  impulse  to  attack  the  magian,  in  order  to  save 
the  pro-consul,  and  the  event  showed  that  the  impulse  came  from 
the  -Spirit  of  God  (v.  9).  Impressed  by  the  striking  inconsistency 
of  the  magian's  name,  "Son  of  Jesus,"  or  ''Son  of  Joshua,"  Saul 
called  him  "Son  of  the  Devil,"  and  with  characteristic  force  drove 
him  from  the  field.  Does  the  narrative  read  as  if  the  magian's  blind- 
ness was  total?  And  permanent?  Perhaps  Saul  judged  from  his 
own  experience  (9 :  g)  that  a  period  of  blindness  would  do  the 
magian  good !  Paul's  own  letters  seem  to  allude  to  a  consciousness 
of  power  to  produce  marvelous  results,  like  the  one  described  here. 
(Romans  15:  18-19.    2  Cor.  12:  12  and  perhaps  i  Cor.  5^4-5) 

The  prominent  feature  of  this  incident  is  the  emergence  of  Saul 
from  under  the  shadow  of  Barnabas.  Saul  exercises  leadership  from 
this  point  on.  Cf.  v.  7  with  v.  13.  Luke  implies  that  it  is  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  brings  Paul  to  the  front  (v.  9). 

Now  that  Paul  is  fairly  launched  on  his  career  of  apostolic  leader- 
ship in  the  Roman  world,  Luke  feels  the  propriety  of  beginning  to 
use  the  Roman  name,  "Paul,"  which  had  probably  been  given  in 
childhood. 

When  the  company  had  crossed  to  the  mainland  in  Pamphylia, 
their  young  assistant  left  and  returned  to  his  mother  in  Jerusalem 
(cf.  12:  12).  Paul  took  this  very  much  to  heart,  as  is  evident  from 
15 :  36-39.  The  reason  for  his  leaving  was  probably  something  that 
occurred  on  the  passage  to  the  mainland,  or  after  they  reached  the 
mainland,  for  otherwise  he  would  have  gone  back  through  the  island 
from  Paphos.  What  seem  to  you  to  have  been  the  possible  reasons 
for  his  action? 

Behind  Paul  and  Barnabas  in  all  these  days  of  new  beginnings 
was  the  great  praying  church  in  Antioch.  Do  you  often  pray  for 
your  friends  and  acquaintances  in  foreign  lands? 


:^6  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  X.—^n  ^outl)  ^alatta  JJattl  anU  ^arnaiafi  learn  CJat 
JJaffan  (3tntilt6  JHap  Accept  tl)e  Ceetimonp.    12:25—14:20 

Fourth  Day:     Paul  Testifies  in  the  Synagogue  of 
PisiDiAN  Antioch.    13 :  14-42 

Read  the  very  meager  narrative  in  vv.  13-14.  For  some  reason 
Paul  wished  to  lead  "his  company"  up  from  the  lowlands  along  the 
coast  through  the  rough  mountain  country,  dangerous  for  travelers 
because  of  brigands  and  mountain  streams  hard  to  cross  at  certain 
seasons  (cf.  2  Cor.  11:26),  to  the  high  plain  in  which  Pisidian 
Antioch  is  situated.  Professor  Ramsay  holds  that  Paul  went  to  the 
highlands  to  recover  from  malarial  fever,  by  which  he  had  been  at- 
tacked in  the  lowlands,  and  finds  evidence  of  this  in  Gal.  4  :  13,  which 
probably  included  the  Antiochians  among  its  readers.  Read  Gal. 
4:13-15,  and  notice  that  the  ailment  referred  to  was  somewhat 
humiliating  in  its  character.  Professor  Ramsay  thinks  that  malarial 
chills  and  fever  coming  suddenly  upon  a  public  speaker,  so  prostrat- 
ing him  as  to  incapacitate  him  for  public  work,  would  have  been 
humiliating,  especially  since  the  inscriptions  of  the  country  indicate 
that  the  fever  was  considered  a  punishment  inflicted  by  the  gods. 
Perhaps  it  seemed  to  young  John  Mark  a  piece  of  foolishness  to  fol- 
low a  sick  man  through  the  dangerous  passes  of  the  Taurus  moun- 
tains. If  so,  his  desertion  at  a  critical  juncture,  when  his  services 
were  so  much  needed,  would  have  been  exceedingly  exasperating. 
Very  possibly  also  it  disturbed  him  to  see  that  his  uncle,  Barnabas, 
who  was  so  much  more  highly  esteemed  than  Paul  in  Jerusalem, 
was  no  longer  the  dominating  influence  in  the  company! 

Paul  and  Barnabas  finally  reached  Pisidian  Antioch,  an  important 
military  center  on  a  great  Roman  road.  They  called  on  the  leaders 
of  the  ghetto,  who  were  glad  to  engage  the  traveling  rabbis  from 
Palestine  for  the  synagogue  service  of  the  next  Sabbath.  Read  vv. 
15-41,  and  note  the  principal  points  made  by  Paul.  Notice  that  he 
at  once  recognized  the  presence  of  the  God-fearing  Gentiles  (v.  16), 
and  later  included  them  in  his  offer  of  Messianic  salvation  (v.  26). 

"We  bring  you  good  tidings"  (v.  32).  When  you  speak  to  a  man 
about  becoming  a  Christian,  you  are  bringing  good  news  to  him. 
You  have  no  need  to  apologize  for  speaking  to  him.  You  are  open- 
ing up  before  him  the  greatest  opportunity  that  can  confront  a  hu- 
man being. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  77 

Study  X. — Jn  ibonti  0alatia  JJattl  anti  ^amaBaa  learn  CJat 
jpajan  (3tntiUti  JHap  9lc(cpt  t Je  Qregtimonp*    1 2 :  25— 14 :  20 

Fifth  Day:    Paul  and  Barnabas  for  the  First  Time 
Turn  to  Pagan  Gentiles.    13:42-49 

The  synagogue  audience  poured  out  through  the  door  in  great  ex- 
citement and  a  week  of  earnest  debate  in  the  ghetto  followed.  Paul 
and  Barnabas  saw  that  a  crisis  was  at  hand,  and,  doubtless  after  a 
prayerful  study  of  the  scriptures,  determined  to  meet  it  by  taking  a 
new  step  forward.  They  proposed  to  leave  the  synagogue,  and  in 
some  other  building  present  their  message  to  Gentiles  in  general, 
regardless  of  any  previous  or  anticipated  connection  with  the  syna- 
gogue. Read  vv.  42-49.  To  whom  does  "thee"  refer  in  the  quota- 
tion (Is.  49:6),  and  how  does  the  quotation  justify  their  new  step? 
Why  was  it  necessary  that  the  word  should  first  be  spoken  to  Jews 
(v.  46)  ?  What  favorite  idea  of  Luke  appears  in  v.  48?  On  pos- 
sible meeting-places  outside  the  synagogue  cf.  18 :  6-7 ;  19 :  9. 

The  preaching  outside  the  synagogue  evidently  continued  for  some 
time,  perhaps  for  some  months,  as  is  evident  from  the  effect  pro- 
duced by  it  throughout  the  sub-division  of  the  province  in  which 
Antioch  was  situated  (v.  49). 

The  great  crime  of  the  Jews  consisted  not  in  the  crucifixion  of 
Jesus,  which  was  the  work  of  the  local  ecclesiastical  machine  in 
Jerusalem  rather  than  the  deed  of  the  nation,  but  in  their  persistent 
determination  not  to  sacrifice  their  pre-eminence,  in  their  bitter  un- 
willingness to  share  special  privileges  with  all  men.  This  brought 
them  into  direct  conflict  with  the  living  God,  who  had  seemed  to 
concentrate  attention  on  them  for  a  time  in  order  that  through 
them  He  might  ultimately  more  effectively  bless  all  nations.  The 
penalty  they  have  paid  is  known  to  all  the  world.  They  expected 
to  have  the  whole  earth  for  themselves  (cf.  Rom.  4:13)1  but  as  a 
nation  they  have  no  foot  of  it.  It  is  the  lesson  of  the  ages  writ 
large:  he  that  will  not  share  shall  not  have. 


78  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  X.-— 3ftt  ibtiutlf  ^alatta  JJauI  anU  ^artiaftaa  learn  Cljat 
Paffan  (SentiUfi  jHap  9l«cpt  tl^e  Cectimottp.    12:25—14:20 

Sixth  Day:    Further  Testimony  in  Galatia.  13:50 — 

14:7 

Read  13 :  50-52.  What  evidence  is  there  here  that  God  approved 
this  new  step  forward?  Were  the  "disciples"  (v.  52)  Paul  and  Bar- 
nabas or  the  new  converts  ? 

The  Jewish  religion  appealed  particularly  to  the  Gentile  women  of 
the  higher  classes,  and  many  of  them  were  found  among  the  Jehovah- 
worshiping  Gentiles.  The  Antioch  rabbis  worked  upon  these  foreign 
ladies  of  the  synagogue  and  through  them  upon  their  husbands,  who 
were  influential  citizens.  On  what  ground  do  you  suppose  they 
urged  their  expulsion  from  the  city  (v.  50)  ? 

They  went  sixty  miles  southeast  to  another  important  city  of 
South  Galatia.  Read  14 : 1-7.  In  v.  i  it  is  probably  the  work  in 
the  synagogue  and  its  success  among  Jews  and  Jehovah-worshiping 
Gentiles  that  is  described.  The  rabbis  stirred  up  the  Jehovah-wor- 
shiping Gentiles  that  were  not  converted,  and  expelled  the  mission- 
aries from  the  synagogue  (v.  2).  Then  in  some  other  building  the 
work  continued  for  a  long  time  among  Gentiles  in  general  (v.  3). 
Finally  the  attention  of  the  entire  city  was  attracted  to  the  new 
movement  and  the  missionaries  left  the  city  just  in  time  to  escape 
being  lynched  (w.  5-6).  What  evidence  does  Luke  give  that  here, 
as  usual,  God  endorsed  the  forward  movement  ?  From  Iconium  they 
went  about  forty  miles  south  to  Lystra,  a  Roman  garrison  town  of 
great  importance,  and  later  to  Derbe,  about  twenty  miles  further. 
Note,  in  v.  6,  the  extent  of  the  work. 

"They  were  filled  with  jealousy"  (13:45).  Do  you  feel  jealousy 
or  discomfort  when  you  find  another  more  successful  than  yourself, 
or  when  you  find  others  beginning  to  share  what  you  had  regarded 
as  your  own  special  pre-eminence?  Remember  that  the  other  man'a 
success  is  just  as  great  a  satisfaction  to  Jesus  Christ  as  yours  i8« 
and  try  to  share  the  satisfaction  of  Jesus. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  "ACTS  79 

Study  X. — ^n  §)nttt|)  (Salatta  JJatil  anti  ^amabaa  learn  Cl)at 
|)asan  (Senttlec  iHap  9laept  t^t  Ceetimanp^    12:25--X4:20 

Seventh  Day  :    Mortal  Peril  in  Lystra.    14 : 8-20 

One  of  Paul's  regular  hearers  in  Lystra  was  a  man  who  had  been 
a  cripple  from  birth.  When  Paul  had  perhaps  been  describing  some 
of  the  cures  God  had  wrought  by  him  in  the  neighboring  city 
(14:  3),  he  saw  an  expression  on  the  cripple's  face  as  he  sat  in  the 
audience  that  made  him  suddenly  shout  to  him:  "Stand  up  on  your 
feet."    Read  vv.  8-10. 

The  crowds  went  wild  when  they  saw  what  had  happened,  and 
word  passed  swiftly  in  the  vernacular  from  lip  to  lip  that  the 
strangers  were  gods.  There  is  a  tradition,  which  was  probably  cur- 
rent among  them,  that  Zeus  and  Hermes  had  once  visited  the  region, 
and  the  cry  was  raised  tyBfthe  two  gods  had  appeared  again.  Some 
one  ran  with  the  word  tJHthe  temple  of  Zeus,  who  was  their  tutelary 
deity,  and  soon  the  priest  came  hurrying  on  with  garlanded  bullocks 
ready  for  sacrifice.  Paul  and  Barnabas  protested  vigorously.  Their 
protest  was  so  effective  that  the  disappointed  priest,  doubtless  some- 
what chagrined,  ordered  his  bullocks  led  back  to  their  stalls.  Read 
vv.  11-18. 

According  to  vv.  15-17  what  motives  was  Paul  accustomed  to  use 
in  his  appeal  to  pagan  audiences? 

Read  vv.  19-20.  Note,  as  evidence  of  their  hatred,  the  distance 
traveled  by  this  joint  deputation. 

Paul's  body  was  dragged  out  to  the  city  refuse-heap,  like  the  car- 
cass of  a  dog.  But  when  the  disciples  went  to  get  it  for  burial,  "in 
the  evening,"  according  to  one  manuscript,  "he  rose  up  with  diffi- 
culty and  entered  the  city." 

An  angel  looking  down  upon  these  scenes  in  South  Galatia  would 
have  thought  this  spectacle  in  Lystra  beyond  belief.  A  crowd  of 
angry  men  running  down  a  street,  chasing  two  men  as  if  they  were 
dogs,  overtaking  them  and  stoning  one  of  them  until  he  is  apparently 
dead!  Yet  these  two  men  are  bearers  of  good  news  from  God  and 
have  in  their  hearts  only  good  will  towards  those  who  would  kill 
them!  And  yet,  however  high  the  tide  of  sin  rises,  God's  grace  rises 
higher.    Where  sin  abounds,  grace  superabounds. 


8o  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XL— d)e  STerufialem  Cburclb  ^nnoxatfi  tSe  JBcto  l^orl 
amoiiff  (^entilefii.    X4:2X— 16:5 

First  Day:    Paul  and  Barnabas  Return  to  Antioch. 

14:21-28 

From  Derbe  Paul  and  Barnabas  might  have  gone  on  through  the 
Cilician  Gates  to  Tarsus,  and  thence  through  the  Syrian  Gates  home 
to  Antioch.  Consult  the  map.  Home  would  certainly  have  been 
welcome !  Behind  them  were  unscrupulous  enemies,  who  would  kill 
them  if  they  could.  Nevertheless,  they  turned  back.  Why?  Read 
vv.  21-23.  What  did  they  do  to  "confirm  the  souls  of  the  disciples" 
(v.  22)  ?    And  what  was  the  character  of  the  "tribulations"? 

Evidently  it  at  once  became  necessary  to  form  new  organizations 
for  the  groups  of  believers  in  these  cities.  The  Jewish  Christians 
might  have  continued  in  the  old  synagogue,  worshiping  God  as  they 
had  worshiped  Him  before  Paul  and  Barnabas  came,  for  there  was 
nothing  in  synagogue  worship  that  was  inconsistent  with  the  belief 
in  Jesus'  Messiahship.  Jesus  had  always  attended  the  synagogue. 
But  the  synagogue  authorities  probably  objected  to  their  presence, 
and  certainly  such  Gentile  Christians  as  had  not  been  previously 
connected  with  the  synagogue  would  not  wish  to  attend  now,  even 
if  allowed  to  do  so.  H  you  have  time,  consider  why  these  converts 
needed  a  church  organization.  A  study  of  this  question  in  the  case 
of  this  simple,  primitive  situation,  where  all  the  essential  elements' 
in  the  case  stand  out  in  clear  relief,  may  throw  some  light  on  the 
reason  for  the  existence  and  support  of  the  modern  church. 

Trace  on  the  map  their  return  route  as  described  in  vv.  24-26. 
Note,  in  v.  27,  the  simple  item  on  which  all  the  interest  of  the  author 
is  centered. 

"Confirming  the  souls  of  the  disciples"  (v.  22).  We  sometimes 
feel  greatly  concerned  about  those  who  are  not  Christians,  but  many 
a  man  who  joined  the  church  when  a  boy  may  be  passing  through 
a  period  of  painful  doubt  as  he  proceeds  to  transform  inherited  opin- 
ions into  personal  convictions,  and  need  sympathetic  help  fully  as 
much  as  one  who  is  not  called  a  Christian. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  8i 

Study  XL— CJe  ^tvunnlm  Clmrcb  (Kntrorfiejf  tje  Beta  l^orfe 
^mottff  (0entiIefi.    14:21—16:5 

Second  Day:    The  Validity  of  Gentile  Faith  Ques- 
tioned.   15:1-5 

The  period  of  peaceful  reminiscence  in  Antioch  after  these  long 
months,  or  years,  of  excitement  and  peril  was  terminated  by  an 
unpleasant  episode.  A  delegation  from  Judzea  visited  the  Antioch 
church  and  declared  that  the  Christian  faith  of  the  large  Gentile 
element  in  the  church  would  not  suffice  to  secure  them  a  place  in 
the  Messianic  Kingdom  of  God.  Read  vv.  1-5.  It  is  necessary  to 
see  clearly  the  view-point  of  these  protesting  visitors.  They  were 
Pharisees  who,  like  Paul,  had  become  convinced  that  Jesus  was  the 
Messiah,  but  who  took  an  attitude  toward  Gentile  Christians  en- 
tirely different  from  that  of  Paul  and  Barnabas.  They  thought  that 
the  law  of  Moses  was  inspired  by  God,  and  therefore  unchangeable 
in  all  its  details.  It  seemed  to  them  that  the  great  promise  of  the 
Messianic  Kingdom  had  been  made  to  law-keeping  Jews,  and  there- 
fore no  Gentile  could  hope  to  have  part  in  it  unless,  by  circumcision, 
he  became  a  member  of  the  body  to  which  the  promise  had  been 
made.  To  be  sure,  no  one  could  be  admitted  to  this  Kingdom  with- 
out believing  in  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  but  only  law-keeping  Jews  or 
regularly  circumcised  proselytes  had  the  privilege  of  believing  in  the 
Messiah. 

Give  the  following  general  questions  as  much  thought  to-day  as 
your  time  permits:  Why  did  these  Pharisees  make  their  protest  in 
the  Syrian  Antioch  church?  Why  did  they  make  it  just  at  this 
time?  In  the  great  discussion  provoked  by  them  in  the  Antioch 
church  (v.  2)  what  answer  did  Paul  and  Barnabas  probably  make 
to  their  arguments  ? 

The  churches  in  Phoenicia  had  no  objection  to  Gentile  Christianity, 
for  many  of  them,  following  the  example  of  the  great  church  in 
Syrian  Antioch,  probably  had  admitted  Gentiles  of  the  synagogue 
into  their  membership.  Of  course  the  Samaritans  would  not  object 
(v.  3). 

Do  you  heartily  count  as  a  Chiistian  brother  every  man  who  takes 
Jesus  as  his  Lord  and  Saviour,  no  matter  how  much  be  differs  from 
you  in  social  habits  or  theological  views? 


82  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XL— C^e  STerufiiaUm  Cljurt!)  (Kntrottftfi  tj)e  Beto  l^orli 
3lmonff  (^entiUfii,    14:21 — 1 6 ;  5 

Third  Day  :    The  Great  Debate.    15 : 6-21 

The  proceedings  of  this  so-called  "council"  in  Jerusalem,  con- 
ducted with  oriental  deliberation,  probably  continued  for  several 
weeks.  The  strenuous  Pharisee  minority  which  appears  here  pro- 
testing against  Gentile  Christianity,  may  have  come  into  the  church 
after  Peter's  experience  with  Cornelius  and  after  the  founding  of 
the  Jewish-Gentile  church  in  Syrian  Antioch  (11:20-24).  If  they 
were  already  in  the  Jerusalem  church  at  that  time,  they  doubtless 
shook  their  heads  over  the  situation,  but  let  it  pass  as  something 
exceptional,  and  not  worth  contending  against.  But  when  the  move- 
ment assumed  such  unexpectedly  large  dimensions  under  Paul  and 
Barnabas  in  South  Galatia,  and  included  pagan  Gentiles,  they  felt 
the  imperative  necessity  of  making  an  uncompromising  stand  against 
the  movement.  Naturally  they  went,  first  of  all,  to  the  source  of 
the  trouble,  the  church  in  Syrian  Antioch.  Very  probably  they  pro- 
posed to  proceed  from  there  to  Pisidian  Antioch  and  the  other  cities 
of  South  Galatia,  and  to  repair  the  mischief  that  Paul  and  Barnabas 
had  done.  If  so,  the  determined  opposition  they  met  from  Paul  and 
Barnabas  in  Syrian  Antioch  and  the  appeal  to  Jerusalem  temporarily 
checked  them. 

Why  did  the  question  seem  to  Paul  and  Barnabas  to  be  so  im- 
portant? Why  not  yield  to  the  representation  of  the  protesting 
Pharisee  ? 

Read  vv.  6-13,  and  state  Peter's  argument.  Notice  that  it  is  not  the 
mere  surgical  operation  of  circumcision  that  is  urged,  but  the  keep- 
ing of  the  entire  Mosaic  law.  To  put  the  rabbi's  "yoke"  upon  all 
the  Gentile  Christians  and  try  to  teach  them  to  do  what  the  Jews 
themselves  had  never  succeeded  in  doing  would  vex  God.  What 
was  the  argument  advanced  by  Barnabas  and  Paul  in  v.  12  ? 

Do  you  take  pains  to  familiarize  yourself  with  the  wonderful  side 
of  God's  work  in  the  world  (v.  12)  ?  Do  you  read  missionary  litera- 
ture enough  to  acquaint  yourself  with  God*s  achievements  in  non- 
Christian  nations?  Some  of  them  are  as  marvelous  as  any  recorded 
in  Acts,  and  they  constitute  now,  as  then,  striking  proof  that  God 
is  at  work  in  the  world. 


A.  D.  53  (Zahn);  A.  D.  47  <40)  (Harnack);  A.  D.  49  (Ramsay)< 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  83 

Study  Xl.—Cbe  Jtrncalem  Cfeurcl)  (EnKorceg  tie  Beto  ll^orli 
9lmonff  (25entilefit.    14:21—16:5 

Fourth  Day  :   The  Decision  to  Endorse  Gentile  Chris- 
tianity.   15 :  13-29 

After  Paul  and  Barnabas  had  joined  Peter  in  an  appeal  to  the 
logic  of  events  (v.  12),  the  decisive  speech,  proposing  the  action 
finally  taken,  was  made  by  James,  the  famous  brother  of  Jesus.  Read 
it  in  vv.  14-21,  and  state  its  argument.  He  cited,  perhaps  with  some 
quiet  sense  of  family  pride,  a  prophecy  that  spoke  of  the  restoration 
of  the  Davidic  dynasty,  which  he  evidently  conceived  to  be  fulfilled 
in  the  Messianic  glory  of  Jesus.  Very  likely  to  his  mind  it  also 
involved  the  prospective  establishment  of  Jewish  national  political 
prestige.  He  pointed  out  that  the  prophecy  included  Gentiles  as 
well  as  Jews  (v.  17).  The  protesting  Pharisees  might  have  re- 
sponded that,  to  be  sure,  the  Gentiles  were  included,  but  of  course 
only  on  condition  that  they  become  circumcised  Jewish  citizens. 
James  would  probably  have  used  the  argument  of  Paul  and  Barna- 
bas in  reply. 

James  proposed,  however,  that  four  things  be  required  of  all  Gen- 
tile converts.  Read  vv.  20-21.  It  may  very  likely  be,  as  Professor 
Ramsay  suggests,  that  these  four  requirements  had  always  been 
made  by  the  synagogue  authorities  of  such  as  wished  to  become 
Gentiles  of  the  synagogue.  If  so,  then  James  proposed  that  Gentile 
Christians  should  be  received  into  the  Christian  church  on  the  same 
terms  upon  which  they  had  been  tolerated  in  the  synagogue.  Does 
V.  21  mean  that,  since  Jewish  synagogues  were  to  be  found  in  every 
city  where  there  was  likely  to  be  a  Christian  church,  concessions 
must  be  made  by  Gentile  Christians  to  the  feelings  of  the  Jewish 
Christians  for  the  sake  of  fellowship?  Or  that,  since  Moses  was 
so  generally  taught  in  all  Jewish  synagogues,  Christian  Jews  would 
surely  remain  loyal  to  Moses  and  not  claim  for  themselves  the  same 
laxity  that  it  is  proposed  to  tolerate  in  the  case  of  Gentile  Chris- 
tians? Or  that  Gentile  Christians  will  be  ready  to  yield  these  four 
points,  since  they  have  long  been  familiar,  by  hearsay  at  least,  with 
Moses'  teaching  on  these  points? 

The  practical  value  of  the  requirement  that  concerned  meat  from 
an  animal  offered  in  pagan  worship  before  being  sent  to  market  is 
at  once  apparent.  Unless  a  Jewish  Christian  could  be  sure  that  he 
should  never  find  such  meat  on  a  Gentile  brother's  table,  he  would 


84  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

never  visit  him  and  would  probably  refuse  all  Christian  fellowship. 
The  regulation  regarding  blood  in  Leviticus  17 :  lo  expressly  in- 
cluded sojourning  Gentiles  ("strangers  that  sojourn  among  them"), 
and  so  might  have  been  thought  to  apply  directly  to  Gentile  Chris- 
tians. "Things  strangled,"  which  had  the  blood  still  in  them,  per- 
haps came  in  the  same  category.  Fornication  seemed  to  the  Gentiles, 
even  to  some  Christian  Gentiles  (i  Cor.  6:  12-17),  to  be  the  harmless 
gratification  of  a  natural  appetite,  but  the  Jewish  Christian  must  be 
assured  that  the  Gentile  had  discarded  this  abhorrent  view. 

The  decision  settled  one  point  with  perfect  clearness— a  Gentile 
need  not  become  a  Jew,  in  order  to  be  a  Christian.  It  left  two  points 
unsettled:  (i)  Would  a  Gentile  be  a  better  Christian  if  he  would 
consent  to  be  circumcised?  The  unreconciled  Pharisaic  minority 
seem  to  have  left  this  council  and  to  have  sent  emissaries  through- 
out South  Galatia,  urging  that  the  Gentiles  could  not  be  Christians 
of  the  highest  grade  unless  circumcised,  a  view  which  Paul's  epistle 
to  the  Galatians  seems  to  have  been  written  to  oppose.  (2)  Could  a 
Jewish  Christian  have  intimate  social  relationship  with  an  uncircum- 
cised  Gentile  brother?  Misunderstanding  on  this  point  probably  led 
to  the  unfortunate  episode  described  in  Gal.  2: 11-14. 

"That  the  residue  of  men  may  seek  after  the  Lord"  (v.  17).  This 
is  the  age  when  the  human  residuum  is  being  brought  to  seek  after 
the  Lord.  What  has  ordinarily  been  regarded  as  the  waste  of  hu- 
manity, the  submerged  tenth  in  the  great  cities,  the  despised  races, 
the  cannibals  among  the  heathen,  is  receiving  a  new  valuation.  We 
are  waking  up  to  see  God's  age-long  purpose  to  do  this  great  class 
good,  just  as  the  church  woke  up  to  the  same  fact  in  the  period  we 
are  studying. 

In  your  life  plans  are  you  taking  account  of  your  duty  to  the 
"residue  of  men,"  or  do  you  chiefly  consider  the  favored  classes? 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  85 

Study  XL— C^e  STertifialem  €Wxti  CnUowea  tje  Btm  Waxk 
^motiff  (StntiltJi*    14:21— 16;5 

Fifth    Day:     The   Decision   Reported   in   Antioch. 

15:22-35 

Read  carefully  vv.  23-29.  Note  the  attitude  of  the  council  to  (i) 
those  who  had  made  the  protest,  (2)  those  whose  missionary  work 
had  been  criticised,  (3)  the  Gentile  Christians.  How  did  they  know 
that  it  seemed  so  to  the  Holy  Spirit  (v.  28)  ? 

The  Jerusalem  church  showed  its  extreme  consideration  for  the 
Gentile  church  in  Antioch  by  selecting  distinguished  men  to  deliver 
their  decision  in  person. 

Read  vv.  30-33,  and  note  the  precautions  taken  to  remove  all  ves- 
tiges of  unpleasant  feelings  that  might  have  been  occasioned  by  the 
recent  discussion.  Probably  there  was  a  period  of  great  social  ac- 
tivity, in  which  many  Jewish  Christians  freely  entered  the  homes 
of  their  Gentile  brethren.  All  ate  the  Lord's  Supper  together,  re- 
gardless of  nationality. 

It  is  not  entirely  clear  that  the  episode  described  in  Gal.  2:  11-14 
occurred  after  the  Jerusalem  council,  but  such  is  generally  thought 
to  have  been  the  case.  Read  it  carefully.  If  it  did  occur  after  the 
council,  then  Peter  (Cephas)  himself  visited  Antioch  and  joined  in 
the  general  good  feeling.  He  seemed  to  agree  with  Paul  that  it 
had  been  the  intent  of  the  Jerusalem  council  not  only  to  recognize 
the  validity  of  Gentile  Christianity,  but  to  legitimatize  free  social 
intercourse  between  Jewish  and  Gentile  Christians.  Evidently  not 
every  Jerusalem  Christian  took  this  view.  Certain  distinguished 
Christians  from  Jerusalem,  not  the  defeated  Pharisees  of  course, 
perhaps  representing  the  view  of  James  himself,  denied  that  any 
such  interpretation  of  the  council's  action  ought  to  be  made.  Their 
influence  was  so  great  as  to  make  Peter,  and  even  Barnabas,  with- 
draw from  all  Gentile  dinner  parties.  Paul  regarded  such  with- 
drawal as  insincere,  and  said  so  publicly. 

"God  .  .  .  had  opened  a  door  of  faith  unto  the  Gentiles" 
(14:27).  He  opened  the  door,  and  held  it  open  when  men  struggled 
to  shut  it.  No  thoughtful  modern  "Gentiles,"  familiar  with  Christian 
history,  can  long  hesitate  to  enter  the  door  opened,  and  held  open, 
at  such  a  cost. 


86  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XL— QE|)t  ^evntiultm  CftttttJ  (KnUorfiea  tl)e  3Bt\o  Woxk 
3lm0nff  (25entilefi(.    14:21—16:5 

Sixth  Day:    Paul's  Own  Version  of  the  Jerusalem 
Council.    Gal.  2 :  i-io 

In  Paul's  letter  to  the  Galatians  (2 :  i-io)  he  gives  an  account  of 
a  visit  to  Jerusalem,  generally  thought  to  be  the  council  visit  which 
we  are  now  studying.  The  standpoint  of  Paul's  account  is  entirely 
different  from  that  of  Luke's.  Paul  is  chiefly  concerned  to  show 
that  his  own  personal  relationship  to  the  Jerusalem  apostles  was 
one  of  independence,  and  so  he  gives  an  inside  view  of  that  which 
Luke  describes  from  the  outside.  This  results  in  some  differences 
of  detail  in  the  two  accounts,  but  in  no  clear  contradictions. 

Read  Gal.  2 :  i-io,  and  note  the  points  in  which  it  resembles  and 
differs  from  the  account  in  Acts  15. 

The  following  is  a  paraphrase  of  the  difficult  verses  (Gal.  2:  2-5)  : 
"I  laid  my  gospel  of  salvation  for  Gentiles  by  faith  alone  before  a 
private  meeting  of  the  apostles  and  elders,  because  I  feared  that  in 
a  great  public  meeting  there  might  not  be  such  an  opportunity  for 
question  and  answer  as  would  result  in  my  position  being  clearly 
understood.  In  that  case  I  feared  they  might  decide  against  the 
acceptance  of  uncircumcised  Gentiles,  and  so  my  missionary  career 
of  the  present  and  past  among  the  Gentiles  be  in  vain  (v.  2).  They 
did  not,  however,  even  ask  for  the  circumcision  of  my  associate 
Titus  (v.  3).  The  question  of  his  circumcision  would  never  have 
been  raised  at  all,  had  it  not  been  for  certain  men  who  had  slipped 
into  church  membership  without  being  genuinely  converted ;  who 
had  joined  the  church  simply  to  ascertain  the  degree  of  intercourse 
allowed  between  Jewish  and  Gentile  Christians,  and  to  use  their  in- 
fluence against  freeing  Gentile  Christians  from  bondage  to  the  Mo- 
saic law  (v.  4).  You  may  be  sure  we  stood  firmly  for  your  recog- 
nition as  Christians  without  circumcision"  (v.  5). 

Are  you  sometimes  deterred  from  doing  what  you  know  to  be 
right,  by  dread  of  what  influential  persons  may  think  of  you?  Jesus 
is  an  influential  person.    Try  to  realize  His  presence. 


■NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  87 

Study  Xl.—E^t  ^erttfialem  C|)ttrc!)  enKarjied  tje  Beto  ^orli 
^tmonff  (0cntilefi.    14:21—16:5 

Seventh  Day  :  The  Decision  of  the  Council  Carried  to 
THE  South  Galatian  Churches.    15 :  36—16 : 5 

Read  15 :  36-41.  Why  was  the  fact  that  Barnabas'  nephew  had 
not  gone  with  them  before  a  reason  for  not  taking  him  now  ?  With 
which  of  the  two  do  the  author  and  the  Antioch  church  seem  to 
have  sympathized?  Had  the  episode  in  Gal.  2:11-14  anything  to 
do  with  this  disagreement?  Notice  the  evidence  that  Mark  worked 
later  with  Paul  and  was  regarded  by  him  as  a  valued  assistant. 
Col.  4:  10.  2  Tim.  4:  II.  Barnabas  goes  to  the  region  where  he 
is  best  known  and  to  that  part  of  their  previous  route  which  John 
Mark  had  traveled  with  them. 

Read  16: 1-5.  The  two  things  that  interest  Luke  are  the  delivery 
of  the  decision  of  the  Jerusalem  council  to  these  churches  whose 
Jewish-Gentile  membership  would  naturally  be  so  keenly  interested 
in  it,  and  Paul's  discovery  of  a  new  assistant  destined  to  be  ever 
after  intimately  associated  with  him  and  his  work.  Paul  speaks  of 
him  in  i  Cor.  4:  17  as  one  of  his  converts,  and  he  had,  therefore, 
been  converted  on  Paul's  previous  visit  to  this  region.  His  family 
belonged  to  the  less  conservative  element  among  the  Jews.  The 
decision  of  the  Jerusalem  council  had  not  applied  to  Jews,  and  it 
was  important,  therefore,  that  Timothy  as  a  Jew  should  be  cir- 
cumcised. Very  likely  one  strong  argument  against  allowing  Gentile 
liberty  had  been  the  fear  that  Jewish  Christians  would  soon  ask  for 
the  same,  and  Paul  wished  to  give  no  justification  for  this  fear. 

The  churches  have  come  through  another  crisis,  and  are  stronger 
than  before  (v.  5).    How  was  the  "daily"  increase  secured? 

"Him  would  Paul  have  to  go  forth  with  him"  (v.  3).  Paul  always 
desired  and  appreciated  associates.  Might  it  not  be  that  your  effi- 
ciency as  a  Christian  would  be  largely  increased  if  you  were  to  cul- 
tivate the  friendship  of  one  or  two  Christian  friends,  with  whom 
you  might  have  frequent  prayer  and  conversation?  Perhaps  you 
have  already  learned  the  value  of  such  association.  If  so,  recommend 
it  to  others.  The  adoption  of  the  suggestion  may  mark  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  era  in  their  Christian  experience. 


PART  V 

THE  TESTIMONY  IS  CARRIED  TO  GENTILES  IN  THE 
ROMAN  PROVINCES,  MACEDONIA,  ACHAIA  AND 
ASIA  BY  PAUL  AND  HIS  ASSOCIATES,  UNDER  THE 
GUIDANCE  OF  GOD  AND  IN  SPITE  OF  JEWISH  OP- 
POSITION.   16:6—19:20 

Study  XII.— Paul  and  His  Associates  Carry  the  Testimony  into 
Macedonia.     16 :  6 — 17 :  15. 

Study  XIIL— Paul  and  His  Associates  Carry  the  Testimony  into 
Achaia.    17:16—18:18. 

Study  XIV.— Paul  and  His  Associates  Carry  the  Testimony  into 
Asia.     18 :  19—19 :  20. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  91 

Study  XIL— Paul  anH  l)ifii  ^ssocmtti  Carrp  tje  Cectimonp 
into  ;paaUonia»    16:6—17:15 

First  Day:    Paul's  Period  of  Uncertainty.    16:6-10 

Paul  with  his  young  associate  Timothy,  and  Silas  the  Jerusalem 
prophet,  passed  through  the  cities  in  which  he  had  preached  a  year 
or  two  before,  reporting  to  them  the  action  of  the  Jerusalem  coun- 
cil. When  this  definite  work  of  revisitation  and  delivery  of  the  de- 
cree was  accomplished,  Paul  experienced  the  utmost  difficulty  in 
deciding  what  to  do  next.  The  Roman  province  Asia  to  the  west 
seemed  to  him  to  present  promising  opportunities  for  doing  what 
he  and  Barnabas  had  done  in  the  South  Galatian  cities,  but  when 
he  began  to  plan  to  go  there  he  found  himself  "forbidden  of  the 
Holy  Spirit"  to  do  so.  Then  he  went  on,  after  leaving  Pisidian 
Antioch,  through  the  rest  of  Phrygian  Galatia,  and  traveled  north- 
ward toward  the  Roman  province  Bithynia.  But  when  he  had 
reached  a  certain  point  on  their  journey  he  found  that  the  "Spirit 
of  Jesus  suffered  them"  to  go  no  farther.  They  then  traveled  west- 
ward until  they  finally  reached  the  seaport  Troas.  Read  vv.  6-8. 
How  did  the  Spirit  make  this  wish  known?  Through  Silas  the 
"prophet"  (15:32)?    Compare  also  18:9. 

These  months  must  have  been  very  unsatisfactory  to  Paul  in  some 
ways.  The  memory  of  his  sharp  words  with  Barnabas  must  have 
been  an  unpleasant  one.  Everywhere  in  South  Galatia  he  was  re- 
minded of  the  pleasant  companionship  they  had  enjoyed  in  their 
earlier  work  in  these  cities.  He  was  repeatedly  embarrassed  by 
being  obliged  to  explain  why  Barnabas  was  not  with  him !  These 
long  journeys  without  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  where  he  was 
going  were  very  trying.  He  was  perhaps  almost  ready  for  the  serv- 
ices of  a  physician  when  he  finally  reached  the  seaport  where  Luke, 
"the  beloved  physician,"  joined  the  party  ("we,"  v.  10). 

The  cry  of  the  man  in  the  vision  contained  one  word  that  always 
stirred  Paul's  soul!    Read  vv.  9-10. 

The  church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  company  of  men  and  women 
banded  together  by  Jesus  Christ  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  help  to 
every  point  of  need,  far  or  near.  Wherever  any  soul  stands  in  need, 
even  though  the  need  be  unrecognized  by  the  needy  soul  itself,  there 
some  member  of  this  Christly  band  is  to  hasten  with  help. 


Chapters  16-18.  A.  D.  52-54  (Zahn);  A.  D.  47-49  (46-50)  (Harnack). 


92  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XIL— ^attl  anH  pis  ^asomtta  Cart?  tje  STeBttmonj 
into  iHaceUonia.    16:6—17:15 

Second  Day:    The  Beginning  in  Philippi.    6:11-15 

On  some  one  of  the  boats  that  sailed  over  the  blue  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean  there  were  four  travelers,  like  their  fellow-travelers 
in  outward  appearance,  but  on  an  errand  that  has  made  them  live 
in  history,  and  that  has  given  an  abiding  interest  to  every  spot  they 
touched.  They  went  at  once  to  the  great  "colony  city,"  Philippi, 
situated  on  the  Egnatian  Road.  As  a  "colony  city"  it  enjoyed  spe- 
cial privileges,  of  which  it  was  naturally  proud.  Professor  Ramsay 
considers  Luke  to  have  been  a  Macedonian,  and  thinks  that  Paul's 
vision  in  Troas  took  the  form  it  did  because  Luke  had  previously 
been  urging  him  to  begin  work  in  Macedonia.  If  so,  Luke  would 
naturally  have  many  things  to  show  them. 

Read  vv.  11-13.  Does  the  situation  seem  on  the  whole  to  promise 
as  great  results  as  the  Troas  vision  may  have  led  them  to  antici- 
pate ?  Does  there  seem  to  have  been  a  synagogue  in  the  city  ?  Where 
was  the  "man  of  Macedonia"  who  had  appeared  in  the  vision! 
This  situation  must  have  stood  out  in  discouraging  contrast  with 
the  brilliant  successes  in  South  Galatia  when  Barnabas  was  still 
with  him!  Was  the  one  convert  a  Jewess?  She  was  evidently  a 
woman  of  business  ability  and  of  some  means,  for  she  had  in  the 
bazaar  a  stock  of  fine  goods  brought  from  her  home  city  in  Asia, 
also  a  "household,"  and  she  felt  herself  able  to  entertain  the  four 
strangers  in  her  home.  Paul  was  exceedingly  careful  not  to  over- 
tax anyone's  hospitality  (cf.  I  Thess.  2:9).  Is  there  any  evidence 
here  that  he  hesitated  about  accepting  her  invitation?  What  evi- 
dence is  there  here  that  Luke  regards  this  new  step  as  instigated 
of  God? 

"Whose  heart  the  Lord  opened"  (v.  14).  There  is  need  that  we 
keep  constantly  in  mind  the  mystery  of  the  presence  of  God.  The 
presentation  of  moral  truth  in  any  form  to  another  possesses  a  f?s- 
cinating  interest  when  God's  presencei  leadership,  and  cooperation 
are  recognized  and  counted  on. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  93 

Study  XIL— J)atil  anU  ^ifi  ^snotmttn  Carrp  t!)e  Cectimonp 
into  iHaceUonia.    16:6—17:15 

Third  Day:    Paul  and  Silas  Publicly  Whipped  and 
Imprisoned.    16:16-24 

A  half-demented  slave-girl  attended  the  riverside  services  and 
caught  up  certain  phrases  from  the  lips  of  the  preachers,— "Most 
High  God,"  "salvation,"— and  for  days  afterward,  whenever  she  saw 
them  upon  the  street,  it  was  her  custom  to  follow  them  and  shout 
the  phrases  at  them.  The  slave-girl's  condition  and  behavior  greatly 
distressed  Paul  and  he  finally  felt  himself  moved  by  the  Spirit  of 
Jesus  to  cure  her  diseased  mind.  Read  vv.  16-18.  The  girl  is  de- 
scribed as  having  a  "Python  spirit"  or  "Delphic  spirit."  That  is, 
her  oracular  utterances  were  regarded  as  having  some  prophetic 
value,  and  people  were  willing  to  pay  her  owners  for  the  privilege 
of  consulting  her  about  their  business  ventures  or  love  affairs. 

Paul  as  a  stranger  systematically  propagating  religious  ideas  had 
always  to  contend  with  the  suspicion  that  he  was  introducing  a  new 
religion;  and  in  a  civilization  in  which  the  government  licensed 
religion  this  might  at  any  time  make  him  politically  offensive.  The 
fact  that  his  principal  idea  was  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  was  a  still 
more  suspicious  circumstance.  It  was  always  easy  to  say  that  he 
was  preaching  "another  emperor"  than  Caesar  (cf.  17:7)-  The 
owners  of  the  slave-girl,  angered  by  the  fact  that  he  had  ruined  their 
business,  tried  to  fan  this  ever-smouldering  suspicion  into  a  flame 
of  hate.  In  addition  to  this,  they  rang  out  the  old  anti-Semite  cry 
in  the  market,  a  cry  all  the  more  popular  just  now  in  this  "colony 
city,"  eager  to  ape  the  mood  of  the  mother  city,  Rome,  vyhere  an 
anti-Semite  agitation  was  on  (cf.  18:2).  Why  did  Paul  and  Silas 
not  announce  their  Roman  citizenship  (v.  37)  and  claim  immunity 
from  such  punishment? 

The  long  contest  of  the  ages  is  the  contest  between  the  passion 
for  money  and  regard  for  men.  The  owners  of  the  slave-girl  cared 
more  for  money  than  for  the  welfare  of  the  girl.  Sometimes  those 
who  are  operating  manufacturing  establishments  care  more  for  large 
dividends  than  for  the  safety  and  health  of  their  operatives.  Any 
moral  reform  that  affects  "business"  is  opposed.  Christianity's  aim 
is  to  establish  the  fact  that  men  ace  more  than  money. 


94  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  Xll.—paul  antr  ^i6  aesociates  Carrp  tiie  Cegtimonp 
into  ilaccUonia.    16:6—17:15 

Fourth  Day  :   God  Vindicates  His  Witnesses.    i6  :  25-32 

The  main  point  here  is  that  God,  with  a  strong  hand,  brought  His 
witnesses  out  of  prison  and  even  transformed  the  jailer  himself  into 
one  of  their  followers !  Read  vv.  25-32.  It  might  well  have  seemed 
to  Paul,  as  he  sat  chained  in  the  darkness  with  his  back  raw  and 
his  feet  fast  in  the  heavy  blocks,  that  this  was  the  climax  of  all  the 
misfortune  and  disappointments  of  the  recent  months.  But  that 
would  not  have  been  like  Paul.  Read  v.  25  once  more.  Paul  was 
speaking  out  of  his  own  experience  when  a  few  months  later  he 
wrote:  "Rejoice  alway.  Pray  without  ceasing.  In  everything  give 
thanks"  (i  Thess.  5:  16-18).  Was  God  connected  with  this  earth- 
quake? It  is  said  that  the  structure  of. a  modern  Turkish  prison  is 
such  that  the  effect  of  an  earthquake  is  to  loosen  bars,  bolts  and 
staples.    (Ramsay's  St.  Paul,  pp.  220-221.) 

Why  should  the  jailer  wish  to  kill  himself  (v.  27)  ?  Paul,  looking 
out  toward  the  lights  for  which  the  jailer  immediately  called,  saw 
his  uplifted  hand  and  gleaming  knife,  and  stopped  him  with  a  "great 
cry."  His  Christian  instinct  to  "help"  came  instantly  into  action. 
The  other  prisoners  would  have  been  glad  to  see  him  kill  himself. 

As  soon  as  the  jailer  had  secured  the  other  prisoners  (so  one 
manuscript  reads),  he  salaamed  to  his  two  rescuers,  brought  them 
out  and  asked  the  great  question:  "What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?" 
What  did  he  mean  by  this  question?  Saved  from  what?  Had  he 
heard  their  preaching  during  the  past  weeks?  To  "believe  in"  a 
person  is  to  believe  him  to  be  what  he  represents  himself  to  be,  and 
to  treat  him  accordingly.  What  is  it,  then,  to  believe  in  Jesus  as 
Lord?    Cf.  I  Cor.  12:3;  Rom.  10:9  (Revised  Version). 

Opportunities  are  exceedingly  deceptive  in  appearance.  An  ap- 
parent limitation  is  often  a  great  opportunity.  Here  were  two  men 
in  a  most  unpromising  situation.  They  might  well  have  sat  in  the 
midnight  darkness,  groaning  in  gloomy  bitterness  of  spirit.  But 
though  they  were  so  tightly  bound  they  could  still  sing  and  pray, 
and  God  made  it  to  be  their  hour  of  power.  To  the  soul  in  joyful 
league  with  God  the  time  of  apparent  limitation  may  be  the  hour 
of  greatest  opportunity. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  95 

Study  XII. — Paul  anti  Ipifi  StcfiDciatefi  Carrp  tje  CeEStimonp 
into  ;PlaceIionia.    16:6—17:15 

Fifth  Day:    The  Triumphant  Departure.    16:  32-40 

The  two  witnesses  followed  up  their  first  swift  reply  to  the  jail- 
er's question  with  more  extended  explanations,  both  for  himself  and 
his  entire  domestic  establishment  (v.  32).  The  whole  household 
became  Christians  on  the  spot  and  began  at  once  the  kindly  offices 
of  Christian  helpfulness.  Read  vv.  33-34-  Perhaps  this  breakfast 
was  not  merely  necessary  refreshment  for  the  men  weakened  by 
their  public  whipping,  but  it  may  also  have  had  the  significance  of 
the  Lx)rd's  Supper  following  baptism.  Read  vv.  35-39.  Why  did  the 
magistrates  wish  these  men  released  ?  Had  they  connected  the  earth- 
quake with  them?  Paul's  feeling  in  v.  37  was  entirely  natural.  He 
may  have  thought  also  that  such  action  would  serve  to  keep  the 
magistrates  from  taking  any  measures  against  the  Philippian  believ- 
ers after  he  and  Silas  had  left  the  city.  The  magistrates  had  good 
reason  to  fear  serious  consequences  if  their  action  should  be  re- 
ported at  Rome.  Note  that  Silas  seems  also  to  have  been  a  Roman 
citizen.  Paul  and  Silas  were  great  souls.  It  might  seem  as  if  the 
"brethren"  would  have  comforted  them  (v.  40). 

This  word  "brethren"  shows  that  a  group  of  believers  had  been 
formed  here.  They  were  peculiarly  dear  to  Paul  ever  after.  It  may 
be  interesting  to  glance  at  a  few  expressions  in  a  single  extant  letter 
that  Paul  later  wrote  them.  Notice  in  Phil.  4 :  15-16  what  they  did 
for  him  in  the  weeks  just  after  his  departure  from  the  city.  Read 
also  Phil.  1:3-11  and  4: 1-7. 

The  secret  of  Paul's  joy  in  the  midst  of  suffering  was  the  glad 
consciousness  that  by  such  experiences  he  was  becoming  constantly 
better  acquainted  with  his  Lord.  The  ambition  of  Paul's  life  was 
to  experience  a  deepening  acquaintance  with  the  One  who  met  him 
on  the  Damascus  road, — as  he  expressed  it  to  these  same  Philip- 
pians,  "to  know  Him  and  the  fellowship  of  His  sufferings"  (PhiL 
3:10). 


96  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XII. — ^JJauI  anU  ^in  ^fumuita  Carrp  tje  Cefitimonp 
into  fSLuttmnm    16:6— 17: 1 5 

Sixth  Day:   Further  Testimony  in  Macedonia.  17 : 1-9 

The  pronoun  "they,"  instead  of  "we,"  indicates  that  Luke  re- 
mained behind  in  Philippi.  Note  that  the  pronoun  "we"  does  not 
occur  again  until  Paul  returns  to  Philippi  some  years  later  (20:6). 
Paul,  Timothy  and  Silas  traveled  down  the  great  Egnatian  Road 
through  two  cities  and  stopped  finally  in  Thessalonica,  100  miles  dis- 
tant from  Philippi.  It  was  a  great,  rich  city,  and,  like  the  modern 
Saloniki,  was  the  seaport  for  a  large  and  rich  interior.  It  had  com- 
munication by  sea  with  all  the  Mediterranean  world.  Anything  that 
happened  here  would  surely  soon  be  known  in  all  that  part  of  the 
world  (cf.  I  Thess.  1:8). 

Read  vv.  1-4.  Was  the  length  of  Paul's  stay  in  the  city  three 
weeks,  or  was  that  the  time  he  was  allowed  the  privilege  of  the 
synagogue  platform  ?  Phil.  4 :  16  throws  some  light  on  this  point, 
together  with  i  Thess.  2 : 9.  From  what  three  classes  were  his  con- 
verts drawn,  according  to  v.  4?  What  fourth  class  appears  in 
I  Thess.  1:9? 

Read  vv.  5-9.  The  leaders  of  the  ghetto,  jealous  of  the  popularity 
of  these  traveling  rabbis  and  jealously  resenting  their  admission  of 
Gentiles  into  the  special  privileges  of  the  Jews,  played  upon  the 
superstition  of  the  rabble  and  the  political  fears  of  the  "Politarchs," 
who  were  perhaps  afraid  the  city  might  lose  its  privilege  of  being 
a  "free  city"  (Clemen),  to  such  an  extent  that  an  attempt  was  made 
to  arrest  Paul.  Perhaps  they  enlisted  the  pagan  priests  whose  tem- 
ples were  losing  worshipers  (cf.  i  Thess.  1:9). 

Jason  was  probably  a  Gentile,  who  had  offered  his  house  as  a 
meeting-place  after  Paul  was  refused  the  further  use  of  the  syna- 
gogue. It  seems  from  v.  6  that  reports  had  come  from  Philippi  and 
also  from  South  Galatia  (13:50;  14:4-5,  19). 

"There  is  another  king,  one  Jesus"  (v.  7).  Would  anyone  guess 
it  from  your  life? 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  97 

Study  XIL— JJattl  anH  pin  Stfifiiociatefi  Carrp  tie  Qi:efitim0np 
into  ilHaceHoma^    16:6—17:15 

Seventh    Day:      Paul    Driven    Out    of    Macedonia. 

17:10-15 

The  "Brothers"  in  Thessalonica  had  concealed  Paul  and  his  asso- 
ciates, but  the  "Politarchs"  had  probably  required  Jason  to  pledge 
that  Paul  would  leave  the  city.  The  feeling  of  the  "rabble"  (v.  5) 
was  so  intense  that  the  Brothers  thought  it  best  for  Paul  and  Silas 
to  leave  by  night  and  immediately.  The  missionaries  slipped  away 
to  Bercea,  a  comparatively  secluded  town,  not  on  the  Egnatian  Road, 
about  fifty  miles  from  Thessalonica. 

Paul's  First  Letter  to  the  Thessalonians  makes  it  evident  that  he 
left  Thessalonica  before  his  work  there  was  in  condition  to  leave 
(3:5),  and  that  he  was  accused  by  his  enemies  in  the  city  of  being 
a  heartless  adventurer  who  had  been  after  the  money  of  his  con- 
verts, and  whom  they  would  never  see  again  (2:5-9).  He  seems 
to  have  hoped  that  the  feeling  against  him  in  Thessalonica  would 
soon  subside  to  a  point  that  would  make  it  practicable  for  him  tfa 
return    without    endangering    Jason    (Ramsay).     Read    i    Thess. 

2;  17-19- 

The  Jews  in  Bercea  were  less  conservative  than  those  in  Thessa- 
lonica, and  gave  the  missionaries  a  much  fairer  hearing.  Read  vv. 
10-12.  The  extreme  bitterness  of  the  Jewish  feeling  against  Paul 
appears  in  v.  13. 

Read  vv.  14-15,  and  note  the  evidence  of  Paul's  great  danger. 
When  the  Thessalonian  Jews  came  to  Bercea,  Paul  instantly  left  the 
city,  either  concealing,  or  not  having  decided  upon,  his  destination. 
Perhaps  Silas  and  Timothy  stayed  behind  to  make  the  Thessalonian 
pursuers  think  that  Paul  was  being  concealed  in  the  city.  The 
deputation  of  Beroean  Brothers  that  served  as  the  bodyguard  did 
not  think  it  safe  to  leave  him  until  they  had  reached  the  distant  city, 
Athens.  Indeed  it  seemed  scarcely  safe  to  leave  him  alone  then. 
They  probably  feared  assassination. 

"They  received  the  "word  with  all  readiness  of  mind'*  (v.  11).  As 
this  study  proceeds  do  you  find  yourself  receiving  the  word  with 
readiness?  Are  you  ready  to  be  and  do  whatever  the  word  re- 
quires, to  adjust  your  plans  to  the  demands  made  upon  your  life  by 
this  great  movement  whose  history  we  are  studying? 


98  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XIII.— |)aiil  mti  ^is  '^nnmRtta  Carrp  tje  Cefitimonj 
into  acMau    17:16—18:18 

First  Day  :    The  Witness  Among  the  University  Men. 

17: 16-21 

Out  of  immediate  danger  of  assassination  Paul  had  now  a  breath- 
ing spell.  He  needed  it,  for  the  past  months  had  been  exceedingly 
strenuous,  and  he  was  about  to  begin  in  Corinth  what  was  perhaps 
the  most  difficult  piece  of  missionary  work  in  his  whole  life. 

Paul  was  accustomed  to  life  in  a  university  city,  for  he  had  been 
born  in  one.  The  art  of  Athens  made  little  impression  upon  him, 
for  he  was  a  Jew,  and  the  Jewish  mind  had  been  trained  to  regard 
graven  images  as  a  peril  (Ex.  20:4;  Josephus,  Wars  1:32:2). 
Naturally  it  was  the  religious  aspect  of  these  works  of  art  that  ap- 
pealed to  Paul  as  he  strolled  about  the  city  (v.  23),  and  the  city 
appeared  to  him  perilously  "full  of  idols."    Read  vv.  16-18. 

As  usual  he  went  straight  to  the  ghetto  and  its  synagogue.  Notice, 
in  V.  17,  the  two  classes  of  persons  whom  he  found  there.  In  what 
other  place  did  he  deliver  his  message?    To  whom? 

These  daily  discussions  in  the  agora  with  university  professors 
and  students  resulted  in  two  opinions  about  him.  The  first  was  that 
he  was  a  person  who  was  hanging  around  a  university  center,  pick- 
ing up  scraps  of  learning  which  he  was  anxious  to  air  ("babbler"), 
an  ignorant  amateur  trying  to  talk  with  specialists!  Others  took 
him  more  seriously  as  a  propagandist  of  two  new  deities,  Jesus  and 
Anastasis  ("resurrection"),  or  Jesus  and  the  divinity  that  resur- 
rected Him.  This  more  serious  estimate  of  Paul  became  dominant. 
He  was  too  much  in  earnest  to  be  disposed  of  in  any  jocular  way. 
He  was  evidently  a  man  who  ought  to  be  investigated  by  the  Are- 
opagites,  the  court  responsible  for  the  investigation  of  all  new  teach- 
ing.   Read  w.  19-21. 

In  some  crowded  room  or  open  portico  of  the  agora,  perhaps  near 
the  foot  of  the  hill  which  gave  the  court  its  name,  Paul  stands  up 
among  representatives  of  the  court  of  the  Areopagus  and  a  crowd 
of  interested  spectators,  professors  and  students,  to  make  an  infor- 
mal statement  of  his  views,  which  will  enable  the  court  to  ascertain 
whether  any  formal  steps  are  necessary. 

It  is  a  man's  dominant  idea  expressed  naturally  and  without  hesi- 
tation that  tells  how  much  and  in  what  way  his  life  is  to  count. 

Chapters  16-18,  A.  D.  52-54  (Zahn);  A.  D.  47-49  (46-50)  (Harnack). 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  99 

Study  XIII.— Paul  anil  ^ia  ^tfifioclatefi  Carrp  tie  Cectimon? 
into  attjaia.    17:16—18:18 

Second  Day:    Paul's  Testimony  Before  the  Areopa- 

GiTES.    17:22-34 

Read  vv.  22-31,  and  compare  it  hastily  with  Paul's  synagogue  ad- 
dress in  13 :  16-41.  What  is  the  main  theme  of  the  address  in 
Athens?  Paul  shows  himself  acquainted  with  the  philosophical  con- 
ceptions of  the  Stoics  and  Epicureans,  and  also  with  the  cheaper, 
unphilosophical  notions  of  the  popular  theology.  Probably  in  the 
crowd  both  philosophers  and  populace  were  represented. 

In  a  courteous  introductory  sentence  he  acknowledges  that  they 
are  "unusually  religious"  (v.  22),  inasmuch  as  in  their  desire  to 
omit  no  god,  or  to  appeal  to  the  proper  god,  they  have  built  an 
altar  to  "God  TJnknown"  (v.  23).  This  altar  gives  him  a  text  and 
perhaps  suggests  a  defense,  should  one  become  necessary. 

His  first  great  idea  is  God — personal,  supreme,  and  Creator  of  all 
things  (v.  24).  His  statement  involves  the  ascription  to  God  of  a 
more  definite  personality  than  the  pantheistic  Stoics  admitted,  and 
was  opposed  to  the  Epicurean  theory,  which,  while  considering  the 
gods  to  be  persons,  relegated  them  to  a  blissful  life  among  the  stars, 
far  away  from  the  troubled  earth  and  all  its  interests.  This  state- 
ment forbade  ranking  Him  among  the  host  of  gods  recognized  by  the 
people.    Such  a  being  cannot  be  thought  of  as  living  in  a  temple. 

God  is  the  personal  sustainer  of  all  life  (v.  25).  He  keeps  the 
seasons  in  their  fruitful  succession,  the  stars  in  their  courses,  the 
rivers  running  to  the  sea  (cf.  14:  15-17).  He  is  not  living  a  life  of 
blissful  indifference  to  the  world,  as  do  the  gods  of  the  Epicurean 
philosophers.  On  the  other  hand,  neither  does  He  need  the  food 
and  drink  offerings  left  by  the  people  in  their  temples  for  the  gods. 

God  made  all  nations  of  the  same  stock  (v.  26)  and  left  no  room 
for  the  proud  discrimination  between  "Greek  and  Barbarian." 

God  regulates  the  course  of  history  (v.  26),  assigning  to  each 
nation  its  period  of  culmination  and  decay,  setting  in  motion  and 
directing  the  great  streams  of  immigration  that  have  so  changed  his- 
tory.   Perhaps  Paul  appealed  to  Stoic  cosmopolitanism. 

Have  you  thought  of  the  great  tides  of  modem  immigration  as 
answering  some  great  purpose  of  God,  none  the  less  because  they 
occur  in  accordance  with  economic  law? 


loo  'NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS 

Study  XIII.-  JJauI  anH  ^ifi  ^fitintinttti  Carrp  tje  QTcfitimotti 
into  acl)aia.    17:16—18:18 

Third  Day  :  Paulas  Testimony  Before  the  Areopagites 
(  Concluded  ) .  17:  22-34 
God's  purpose  in  directing  the  development  of  human  civilization 
is  to  reveal  Himself,  and  to  enable  individual  men  to  find  Him 
(v.  27).  Capacity  for  intelligent  prayer  is  a  mark  of  high  civiliza- 
tion. This  rests  on  the  supposition  that  God  is  very  near  to  men 
(vv.  27-28).  He  has  not  fled  to  the  stars  to  avoid  men,  as  have  the 
Epicurean  gods. 

•'Closer  Is  He  than  breathing,  and  nearer  than  hands  and  feet." 

Some  of  their  own  poets,  one  of  them  a  Cilician  like  Paul,  have 
recognized  that  God  is  the  Father  of  men  (v.  28).  He  has  never 
grown  weary  of  trying  to  make  His  dumb,  deaf,  blind  children 
know  that  He  is  always  near  them. 

Such  a  fatherly  God  cannot  be  properly  represented  by  stone  and 
metal,  as  the  people  suppose  (v.  29).    He  is  not  statue-like. 

A  crisis  is  now  at  hand,  in  which  it  will  become  evident  that  God 
is  not  indifferent  to  this  long  failure  to  find  Him  and  yield  Him 
spiritual  worship.    God  will  judge  the  world  (vv.  30-31)- 

And  now  Paul  comes  to  his  culmination — ^humanity  in  the  hands 
of  the  resurrected  Jesus  (v.  31). 

The  general  feeling  was  that  one  holding  so  absurd  a  notion  as  a 
judgment  by  a  resurrected  dead  man  was  not  to  be  taken  seriously, 
and  needed  no  further  investigation.  The  idea  of  a  resurrection  was 
perhaps  not  so  absolutely  irreconcilable  with  Stoic  thought,  and  some 
were  inclined  not  to  take  it  utterly  as  a  jest.  One  Areopagite,  a 
woman,  and  a  few  others  were  profoundly  impressed. 

It  was  doubtless  a  significant  experience  for  Paul.  His  comment 
on  it  can  be  read  between  the  lines  of  i  Cor.  i :  22-23,  and  2 :  1-6 
which  refers  directly  to  this  period. 

Perhaps  in  no  age  more  than  our  own  has  it  been  essential  to 
recognize  the  real  strength  of  Paul's  position,  namely,  that  he  could 
confront  the  philosophical  theories  and  popular  superstitions  of  his 
day  with  the  report  of  a  personal  experience  of  increasing  power 
over  sin  through  association  with  Jesus  Christ,  which  experience  was 
intelligible  to  him  in  the  light  of  certain  liistozic  facts  in  the  career 
of  Jesus  of  Kazaxetlu 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  lOi 

Study  XIIL— -JJattl  anH  5)ifi  9lfi«DCtatc«  Cartp  tje  Ceatlmon? 
into  acbaia.    17:16—18:18 

Fourth  Day  :   The  Witness  in  the  Great  City.  i8  : 1-18 

From  the  university  town  Paul  came  to  the  great  commercial  cen- 
ter, Corinth,  half-way  between  Rome  and  Ephesus.  Here  it  was 
not  university  professors  and  students  with  whom  he  had  to  deal, 
but  business  men,  sailors,  porters,  licentious  women,  slaves,  people 
of  the  street  and  the  wharf,  rather  than  of  the  lecture-room  and  the 
library.  Its  spirit  was  that  of  keen  commercialism,  superficial  but 
conceited  culture  and  scandalous  vice. 

Paul  came  to  Corinth  in  a  disturbed  state  of  mind.  He  came  to 
the  great  city  alone,  which  was  no  slight  circumstance  to  one  who 
loved  company  as  well  as  he  did  (cf.  28: 15;  17: 15).  He  was  in 
distress  of  mind  about  his  church  in  Thessalonica,  where  he  had 
been  cruelly  slandered.  While  still  in  Athens  Timothy  had  come  to 
him  in  response  to  his  urgent  summons  (17:  I5)»  hut  had  been  im- 
mediately despatched  to  Thessalonica.  Read  i  Thess.  3 : 1-5.  More- 
over, as  we  have  just  seen,  his  experience  with  the  university  peo- 
ple in  Athens  had  not  been  reassuring  and  he  perhaps  doubted 
whether  he  would  fare  any  better  in  Corinth.  The  athletic  Greeks 
loved  a  fine  presence  and  a  graceful  bearing,  which  Paul  seems  not 
to  have  had.  They  loved  fine  rhetorical  phrasing  in  public  speech, 
and  this  also  Paul  did  not  have.  A  considerable  portion  of  the 
church,  even  in  after  years,  were  never  satisfied  with  his  "delivery" 
(2  Cor.  10: 10;  11:6).    Read  again  i  Cor.  2: 1-4. 

Paul's  first  care  was  to  earn  money  for  the  heavy  expense  of 
Timothy's  journey  to  Thessalonica  and  back,  and  also  perhaps  for 
one  made  by  Silas  from  Bercea  to  Philippi.  It  is  difficult  to  account 
for  Silas  during  this  period.  Yet  Paul  had  time  to  preach  in  the 
synagogue.  Before  Timothy  and  Silas  arrived  he  had  met  two 
who  were  forever  after  to  be  his  fast  friends.    Read  vv.  1-6. 

Most  great  deeds  have  been  wrought  in  the  face  of  great  difficulties. 
If  one  can  only  be  sure  that  he  is  allied  with  a  great  cause,  difficul- 
ties need  not  discourage  him. 


I02  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XIIL— J}attl  mti  j^is  ^fifioctateg  Carrp  tje  Ce«ttm0n| 
into  acliata.    17A6—I6iis 

Fifth  Day:    The  Witness  in  the  Great  City  (Con- 
cluded).   i8:i-i8 

What  two  circumstances  mentioned  in  vv.  7-8  tended  to  embitter 
the  synagogue  authorities?  Read  vv.  9-10,  which  show  how  des- 
perate the  situation  had  become.  Paul  evidently  feared  assassina- 
tion or  lynching,  and  began  to  think  of  abandoning  the  work.  He 
was  kept  from  doing  this  by  nothing  less  than  such  a  vision  as  he 
had  in  two  other  crises  of  his  life  (22:  17-21;  23:  11). 

Soon  after  an  incident  occurred  which  completely  discomfited  the 
Jewish  opposition.  The  new  pro-consul,  brother  of  the  philosopher 
Seneca,  utterly  refused  to  hear  the  charges  they  brought  against  Paul 
and  allowed  the  anti-Semites  in  the  city  to  pound  the  newly  elected 
leader  of  the  ghetto  in  front  of  the  bema  itself.  Read  vv.  12-17. 
Gallio  took  a  very  different  view  of  the  situation  from  that  which 
the  officials  in  Philippi  and  Thessalonica  had  taken.  He  was  con- 
vinced that  the  question  was  one  which  Roman  law  left  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Jewish  authorities. 

In  spite  of  the  misgivings  with  which  Paul  began  his  work  in 
Corinth,  he  afterward  looked  back  upon  it  with  evident  satisfaction. 
Read  i  Cor.  9:2;  2  Cor.  3:1-3;  12:  11-12.  The  church  was  largely 
made  up  of  people  from  the  middle  class  (i  Cor.  1:26),  but  there 
were  some  distinguished  exceptions:  the  leading  man  in  the  ghetto 
(v.  8),  Titus  Justus,  whose  house  was  big  enough  to  accommodate 
large  meetings  (v.  7)  ;  the  wealthy  lady  Chloe,  with  her  slaves 
(i  Cor.  1 :  11)  :  Stephanus,  the  hospitable  entertainer  (i  Cor.  16:  15)  ; 
Erastus,  the  city  treasurer  (Rom.  16:  23).  Slaves  were  found  among 
the  members  (i  Cor.  7:21),  and  some  degraded  men  were  rescued 
from  the  lowest  slums  (i  Cor.  6:9-11). 

The  most  wonderful  fact  about  the  great  city  was  the  presence  of 
Jesus  in  it.  Not  only  was  He  there,  but  He  was  full  of  hope  for  the 
city.  He  saw  in  its  streets  a  multitude  of  people  every  day,  some 
of  them  degraded  men  and  women,  who  were  recoverable  and  whom 
He  already  regarded  as  potentially  His  own  (v.  10).  What  He 
needed  in  order  to  make  them  really  His  own  was  a  suitable  wit- 
ness who  would  put  himself  at  his  Lord's  disposal  and  die  at  hia 
post  if  necessaiy.. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 


!I03 


Study  XIIL— JJauI  anU  ^10  ^tsgotiatetf  Cartp  i^t  CefiStimonj 
into  ^cl)aia.    17:16—18:18 

Sixth  Day:    Paul  Writes  a  Letter  to  the  Thessalo- 
NiAN  Believers  from  Corinth 

Paul's  First  Letter  to  the  Thessalonians  throws  so  much  light 
upon  the  situation  in  Acts  that  it  should  be  briefly  considered.  It 
is  evident  from  i  Thess.  3 :  i  and  3 :  6  that  the  letter  was  written 
just  after  Timothy's  arrival  in  Corinth  (Acts  18:5).  Its  first  pur- 
pose was  to  express  Paul's  great  relief  at  finding  them  still  holding 
fast  to  their  new  Christian  profession.    Read  3:  i-io. 

The  second  purpose  was  to  deny  the  slanderous  stories  that  his 
enemies  were  so  industriously  circulating  about  him  in  order  to 
alienate  his  followers  from  him.  These  stories  were  probably  be- 
ing circulated  by  the  Jews  and  by  the  unbelieving  husbands  and 
neighbors  of  Paul's  converts  among  the  Gentile  ladies  of  the  syna- 
gogue (Acts  17:4).  These  slanderers  said  that  Paul  was  a  fanatic 
("error,"  2:3),  or  a  licentious  man  ("uncleanness,"  2:3),  or  a 
tricky  schemer  ("guile,"  2:3).  His  trickiness  consisted  especially 
in  his  scheming  to  get  money  from  his  converts  (2:5-9).  His 
dupes  in  Philippi  had  sent  him  money  twice!  (cf.  Phil.  4:  16).  There 
were  many  adventurers  abroad  on  the  Egnatian  Way,  looking  for 
chances  to  make  easy  money!  Or  he  was  ambitious  to  become  the 
head  of  one  of  the  many  new  fraternities  {2:6-7).  He  had  stayed 
long  enough  to  get  them  into  trouble,  and  had  then  run  away !  They 
said  he  did  not  care  or  dare  to  come  back  himself,  but  sent  a  cheap 
subordinate  or  substitute.    Notice  his  exaltation  of  Timothy  (3:2). 

The  gist  of  Paul's  defense  is  in  2:3 — 3:  10,  as  has  just  appeared. 
Now  read  the  first  chapter,  noticing  how,  by  quiet  emphasis  of  the 
high  character  of  his  work  among  them,  he  leads  up  to  the  spirited 
defense  in  the  second  chapter. 

"From  you  hath  sounded  forth  the  word  of  the  Lord"  (1:8).  The 
faithful  Ives  of  believers  constitute  a  proclamation  of  the  gospel. 
The  repoj  t  of  what  was  going  on  in  the  lives  of  certain  people  in 
Thessalorica  was  the  best  possible  advertisement  of  Paul's  gospel. 
He  needed  not  to  speak  anything  (1:8).  Draw  near  to  God  before 
you  go  out  into  the  day,  and  let  Him  use  your  life,  hour  by  hour, 
as  a  proclamation  of  His  word  of  love. 


A.  D.  53  (Zahn);  A.  D.  48-49  (Harnack). 


104  NEW  STUDIES  IN  "ACTS 

Study  XIII.-— |)attl  anU  |)tg  ^ggociatetf  Carrp  t^t  Cefittmonj 
into  9lt>ata»    17:16—18:18 

Seventh  Day  :    Paul  Writes  a  Letter  to  the  Thessa- 
LONiAN  Believers  from  Corinth  (Concluded) 

A  third  purpose  of  the  Letter  was  to  give  further  teaching  on 
some  points  which  he  had  not  had  time  to  discuss  before  his  hur- 
ried departure  from  Thessalonica,  and  to  emphasize  some  things 
that  he  had  said.  There  was  always  danger  from  the  low  concep- 
tions of  sexual  morality  that  prevailed  on  every  side  (4:2-8).  The 
gospel  contained  some  exciting  truths,  and  there  were  some  who 
dropped  their  regular  work  in  their  excited  anticipation  of  the  Lord's 
speedy  return.  They  were  in  danger  of  becoming  dependent  on  oth- 
ers, as  well  as  failing  to  meet  their  business  engagements  with  non- 
Christian  business  men  (4:  11-12).  Thessalonica  was  a  city  of  large 
business  interests,  and  there  were  probably  numerous  workmen 
among  the  believers. 

Some  of  the  Christians  had  lost  friends  by  death  and  feared  that, 
inasmuch  as  they  had  died  before  the  Lord's  return,  they  would 
lose  their  place  in  the  kingdom  that  He  was  to  inaugurate  at  His 
coming.     (Read  4:  13-18.) 

There  were  some  ill-balanced,  excited  prophets  who  needed  to  be 
held  in  check  by  the  church  officers.  But  in  restraining  them  the 
officers  needed  to  be  careful  that  they  did  not  repress  some  genuine 
manifestation  of  the  Spirit  (5:19),  and  that  they  did  not  allow 
abuses  of  the  prophetic  gift  by  the  prophets  to  lead  to  an  under- 
estimate of  the  gift  itself  (5:20).  They  were  to  exercise  discrimi- 
nation (5:21).  On  the  other  hand,  these  prophets  and  all  others 
needed  to  cultivate  respect  for  church  officials  (5:  12-13). 

Soon  after  writing  this  letter  Paul  seems  to  have  written  a  sec- 
ond letter  to  the  Thessalonians,  which,  however,  throws  little  light 
on  the  narrative  in  Acts,  and  so  need  not  be  considered  here. 

*'Build  each  other  up"  (5:11).  It  is  the  will  of  God  that  the  Chris- 
tian life  be  developed  by  the  mutual  influence  of  believers  upon  each 
other's  lives.  Some  are  ready  to  influence,  but  not  to  be  influenced; 
to  give,  but  not  to  receive.    Are  you  ready  to  do  both? 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  105 

Study  XIV. — JJauI  anU  jpid  ^eeamttn  Carrp  tje  (ZTefitimonj 
into  ama.    18:18—19:20 

First  Day  :    Paul  Revisits  Jerusalem  and  South  Gala- 
TiA.    18:18-23 

Read  vv.  18-23.  There  was  no  occasion  for  such  a  premature  de- 
parture from  Corinth  as  had  been  necessary  in  Thessalonica,  and 
Paul  was  able  to  leave  behind  him  a  large,  well-organized  church. 
What  business  called  him  back  to  Syria,  we  do  not  know.  Just 
before  he  went  on  shipboard  in  one  of  the  harbor  towns  of  Corinth 
he  had  his  head  shaved,  in  fulfillment  of  some  vow  that  he  had  made 
to  God.  Perhaps  it  was  connected  with  the  final  completion  of  his 
perilous  Corinthian  campaign.  On  his  way  to  Syria  Paul  touched 
at  Ephesus,  the  metropolis  of  the  Roman  province  Asia.  Note,  in 
16 : 6,  the  evidence  that  this  great  province  and  city  had  earlier 
seemed  to  him.  an  inviting,  but  for  some  reason  a  forbidden,  field. 
Note  here,  in  v.  21,  Paul's  evident  remembrance  of  this  earlier  ex- 
perience. He  had  time  for  one  or  two  discourses  in  the  ghetto,  and 
left  behind  him,  as  industrious  propagandists,  the  Jewish  friends 
who  had  stayed  loyally  by  him  during  the  Corinthian  dangers. 

Perhaps,  with  many  other  Jewish  pilgrims,  if  it  were  some  Jew- 
ish feast  that  called  Paul  to  Syria,  he  sailed  through  the  gateway 
of  the  great  artificial  harbor  at  Caesarea  and  went  on  shore.  Note, 
in  8 :  40  and  chapter  10,  the  friends  he  might  hope  to  find  here. 
The  expression  "went  up  and  saluted  the  church"  (v.  22)  seems 
hardly  the  natural  description  of  a  visit  to  the  church  in  Caesarea, 
and  indicates  rather  a  trip  to  Jerusalem.  After  some  days  in  Jeru- 
salem, he  went  to  Antioch  on  the  Orontes,  his  "home  church,"  and 
after  some  weeks  or  months  there  started  again  for  a  third  visit 
to  his  numerous  churches  in  South  Galatia.  Glance  at  13:  14,  51; 
14 : 6  to  recall  the  cities  that  had  been  centers  of  his  extensive  South 
Galatian  work.  Glance  at  16:6  where  his  second  visit  to  that  part 
of  the  world  is  mentioned. 

"He  reasoned  with  the  Jews"  (v.  19).  Christianity  involves  a 
mystical  experience  with  Jesus  Christ,  resting  on  a  rational  basis 
and  issuing  in  an  ethical  result. 


io6  NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS 

Study  XIV. — Pattl  anU  jpifi  ^smmutts  Carrp  t|)e  CTefitimonj 
into  9lma.    18:18—19:20 

Second  Day  :    Paul's  Letter  to  the  Galatians 

At  some  time  in  this  general  period  of  Paul's  life  he  wrote  his 
celebrated  letter  to  the  Galatian  churches.  It  is  sometimes  assigned 
to  the  weeks  of  Paul's  residence  in  Syrian  Antioch,  mentioned  yes- 
terday (Acts  1 8  :  23),  in  which  case,  of  course,  the  letter  was  soon 
followed  by  Paul  himself.  It  is  sometimes  thought  to  have  been 
written  earlier,  during  the  first  weeks  in  Corinth,  before  Silas  and 
Timothy  reached  him  (Acts  i8:  1-4),  for  no  names  are  coupled  with 
his  own  in  the  opening  of  the  letter  (Gal.  1:1).  If  this  were  the 
date,  it  would  be  the  oldest  of  Paul's  extant  letters.  But  Gal.  i :  2 
indicates  that  more  Christians  were  with  him  at  the  time  of  writing 
than  can  be  supposed  10  have  been  at  Corinth  during  those  early 
weeks.  The  situation  implied  in  Gal.  i :  2  is  well  met  by  the  suppo- 
sition that  it  is  the  overwhelming  moral  force  of  all  the  great  Antioch 
church  that  he  brings  to  bear  upon  the  Galatian  churches  in  the  in- 
dignant remonstrance  so  vehemently  expressed  in  this  letter.  Sup- 
posing it,  then,  to  have  been  written  in  Antioch  (Acts  18:  18),  there 
is  time  to  look  at  a  few  of  its  salient  features,  without  taking  time 
to  read  it  through. 

Paul  had  visited  the  Galatian  churches  twice  when  he  wrote  the 
letter  (Gal.  4:  13,  "former  time,"  margin  R.  V.).  The  latter  of  these 
two  visits  was  the  one  described  in  Acts  16 : 6,  when  Paul  carried 
to  them  the  deliverances  of  the  Jerusalem  council,  declaring  that  no 
Gentile  believer  need  be  circumcised,  in  order  to  be  a  Christian. 
Paul  knew  how  bitterly  unreconciled  to  this  deliverance  the  Phari- 
sees who  had  fought  it  in  the  council  were.  He  anticipated  that 
before  long  they  would  visit  South  Galatia,  and  in  some  way  try  to 
make  Jewish  proselytes  of  the  Galatian  Christians.  He  forewarned 
the  Galatian  churches  against  such  an  effort  when  he  left  the  de- 
crees of  the  council  with  them.  He  alludes  to  this  forewarning  in 
his  letter.    Read  Gal.  i :  6-10,  especially  v.  9. 

"A  bond-servant  of  Christ"  (v.  10).  The  last  clause  of  Gal.  2:20 
shows  why  a  high-spirited  man  like  Paul  could  use  such  language.- 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  107 

Study  XIV. — JJauI  ant?  ^ia  ^fisociatefi  Catrp  tje  (ZTefitimon^ 
into  ada^    18:18—19:20 

Third  Day:     Paul's  Letter  to  the  Galatians  {Con* 

tinned) 

In  spite  of  Paul's  forewarning,  the  Jerusalem  Pharisees  found  the 
Galatian  Christians  an  easy  prey  when,  a  year  or  two  later,  they 
came  among  them  on  their  destructive  errand.  This  was  partly  be- 
cause of  the  sly  way  in  which  they  came.  They  did  not  come  di- 
rectly contradicting  the  decree  of  the  Jerusalem  council.  They  did 
not  say  that  it  was  impossible  to  become  a  Christian  without  be- 
coming a  Jewish  proselyte.  They  simply  said  that  if  a  man  wished 
to  be  a  first-class  Christian  he  must  be  a  circumcised  Jewish  pros- 
elyte. What  they  said  can  only  be  guessed  by  noticing  Paul's  re- 
plies, just  as  one  can  guess  what  has  been  said  at  one  end  of  the 
telephone  line  by  listening  to  the  replies  at  the  other  end.  They 
probably  emphasized  the  fact  that  Jesus  Himself  had  been  circum- 
cised (Gal.  4:4-5).  They  asserted  that  Paul  preached  an  uncir- 
cumcised  Christianity,  simply  because  he  thought  it  would  be  popu- 
lar among  the  Gentiles  (i:  10)  ;  that  he  really  believed  in  circum- 
cision (5:11).  He  had  circumcised  his  special  friend  Timothy 
(Acts  16:  1-3),  but  he  had  "shut  out"  the  ordinary  Gentile  Chris- 
tians from  first-class  Christianity  (4:  17). 

Furthermore,  they  said  that  Paul  was  a  mere  subordinate  of  the 
Twelve  who  had  taught  him  all  that  was  true  in  his  gospel  and 
who  did  not  really  approve  of  the  peculiar  features  he  had  added. 
Read  rapidly,  with  these  thoughts  in  mind,  Gal.  i:  11— 2: 14. 


The  letters  of  Paul  are  the  letters  of  a  busy  missionary  writing  in  the 
midst  of  arduous  labors,  or  sometimes  in  the  enforced  leisure  of  an 
imprisonment.  Paul  threw  himself  unsparingly  into  the  work  of  meeting 
the  needs  of  men  without  thought  of  literary  fame,  but  because  of  the 
experience  gained  in  this  way  he  was  chosen  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  put 
the  gospel  into  the  literary  form  in  which  it  has  been  most  effectively 
presented  to  irreligious  men  ever  since. 

Is  it  not  wise  for  us,  in  making  our  life  plans,  to  try  simply  to  meet 
the  sorest  and  most  immediate  need  of  men,  regardless  of  possible 
fame  or  position  ? 


io8  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XIV.— JJauI  anU  l^ia  ^fifionateg  Carrp  tje  dTeBtimottj 
into  ama.    18:18—19:20 

Fourth  Day:    Paul's  Letter  to  the  Galatians  (Con- 
cluded) 

Paul  attacks  the  motives  of  these  missionaries  of  Pharisaism.  They 
seem  to  him  to  be  simply  using  Gentile  Christianity  as  a  bait  by 
which  to  draw  Gentiles  into  the  ranks  of  Jewish  proselytes.  They 
wish  to  boast  among  the  Jerusalem  rabbis  of  their  success  in  making 
Jewish  proselytes  (6:  13),  and  so  escape  any  unpopularity  that  they 
might  incur  among  non-Christian  Jews  because  of  their  Christianity 
(6:  12).  They  had  begun  somewhat  disingenuously  to  urge  the  ob- 
servance of  certam  feast  days  (4:  lo-ii)  and  had  been  urging  cir- 
cumcision without  making  clear  all  that  the  rite  involved  (5:2-3). 

Over  against  their  general  advocacy  of  circumcision  Paul  asserts 
that  one  thing  only  can  result  in  "justification" — that  is,  in  being 
accounted  righteous  or  forgiven,  and  so  being  "saved" — and  that 
one  thing  is  believing  in  Jesus  Christ.  Believing  in  Jesus  Christ 
means  accepting  Him  as  what  He  represents  Himself  to  be  and 
treating  Him  accordingly,  namely,  surrendering  to  Him  as  Lord  the 
control  of  one's  life.  This  act  brings  a  man  under  Jesus'  personal 
influence  and  the  purifying  power  of  His  personal  friendship  (2 :  20). 
This  personal  friendship  with  the  Spirit  of  God  in  Christ  is  the 
highest  blessedness  conceivable.  It  is  the  experience  promised  by 
God  all  through  the  ages  since  Abraham  as  the  culmination  of  bless- 
edness (3' 2,  14).  No  surgical  operation  like  circumcision  can  add 
anything  to  it  {3-3)' 

The  need  of  circumcision  and  the  Mosaic  law  has  passed  away. 
Jesus  Christ  in  His  death  has  made  an  exhibition  of  the  loving  heart 
of  God,  which  prohibits  sin  far  more  effectively  than  the  law  ever 
did  (2:20-21;  3:23-25). 

"The  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  up  for  me" 
(2:20).  A  true  test  of  character  is  the  way  in  which  one  responds 
to  love.  As  He  "gave  Himself  up"  for  us,  so  we  may  gladly  and 
confidently  give  ourselves  up  for  Him. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  log 

Study  XIV.— Paul  anU  ^w  'M^deamUa  Carrp  tje  Ceatimony 
into  atfliia.    18:18—19:20 

Fifth  Day:    The  Development  of  Rudimentary  Wit- 
nesses IN  Ephesus.    i8  :  24 — 19 : 7 

Paul  followed  his  letter  into  South  Galatia,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
found  that  it  had  prepared  the  way  for  his  coming  to  "establish 
all  the  disciples"  (18:23).  Then  he  went  westward  into  the  prov- 
ince of  Asia  and  came  to  Ephesus,  where  he  found  a  group  of  men 
in  a  stage  of  religious  experience  rather  difficult  to  understand. 
Before  his  arrival  his  two  friends,  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  had  found 
a  talented  Jew  in  about  the  same  stage  of  experience.  Read  18 :  24-28. 

Perhaps  Luke's  reason  for  bringing  Apollos  into  his  narrative  is 
the  fact  that  there  had  been  those  in  Corinth  who  thought  more 
highly  of  Apollos  than  they  did  of  Paul  (i  Cor.  i:  12),  and  it  gave 
him  satisfaction  to  show  that  Apollos  had  been  brought  into  the 
higher  Christian  experience  by  Paul's  friends  and  had  been  intro- 
duced to  the  church  in  Corinth  by  them. 

We  need  to  remember  that  Christian  truth  had  not  yet  assumed 
any  fixed  literary  form.  Many  of  those  who  were  interested  in  the 
movement  were,  of  necessity,  very  imperfectly  informed  regarding 
it.  Through  some  traveling  Christian  they  had  learned  about  vari- 
ous phases  of  it,  or  possibly  through  some  one  of  the  many  inade- 
quate written  gospels  that  were  at  one  time  current  in  the  church 
(Luke  1:1).  In  any  case,  these  men  in  Ephesus  knew  nothing 
about  the  experience  described  in  the  second  chapter  of  Acts. 

When  they  learned  more  about  the  resurrected  Jesus  and  gave 
themselves  up  to  Him  as  their  living  Lord  (v.  5),  they  had  an  ex- 
perience of  spiritual  exhilaration  which  resulted  in  ecstatic  ejacu- 
lations and  in  sudden  temporary  inspirations  which  enabled  them  to 
deliver  messages  from  God's  Spirit  in  the  public  meetings  (v.  6). 

"Instructed  in  the  way  of  the  Lord";  "fervent  in  spirit**  (18:25). 
Do  not  be  afraid  to  cultivate  an  enthusiasm  based  on  knowledge. 
See  that  you  have  such  knowledge  as  will  beget  enthusiasm.  Let 
every  wise  plan  for  the  extension  of  God's  kingdom  have  your  en- 
thusiastic support. 


Chapter  19.  A.  D.  55-57  (Zahn);  A.  D.  50-53  (49-52)  (Harnack). 


no  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XIV.— JJattl  uxCn  ^i&  ^tsfiociatcfi  Catrp  tje  STefitimnni 
into  ^fliia.    18:18—19:20 

Sixth  Day:    The  Testimony  Overcomes  Superstition 
IN  Asia.     19:8-20 

Luke  has  pictured  Paul  in  Athens,  the  university  city;  in  Corinth, 
the  great  commercial  center;  and  now  the  victory  in  which  the 
word  of  God  prevails  is  won  in  Ephesus,  the  great  center  of  oriental 
superstition.  Read  vv.  8-10,  noting  as  usual  the  two  classes  of  peo- 
ple to  whom  the  testimony  was  delivered,  and  the  wide  extent  of 
territory  covered.  How  was  the  work  probably  carried  on  in  the 
other  cities  and  villages  of  the  province? 

One  manuscript  represents  Paul  to  have  occupied  the  lecture- 
room  of  the  professor  of  rhetoric  from  11  a.  m.  to  4  p.  m.,  that 
is,  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  when  most  men  rested  (Ramsay). 
Paul  probably  worked  at  his  trade  until  11  o'clock  (20:34-35),  and 
then  began  lecturing,  sometimes  continuing  his  discussions  far  into 
the  night  (20:  31).  What  expression  in  v.  10  indicates  Luke's  domi- 
nant interest? 

Read  vv.  11-12.  These  phenomena  were  especially  calculated  to 
appeal  to  those  who  had  been  impressed  by  performances  of  the 
magicians.  The  healings  may  have  taken  place  in  accordance  with 
psychic  laws  through  which  "God  wrought." 

Read  the  humorous  incident  described  in  vv.  13-17.  There  had 
been  Jews  of  Palestine  in  Jesus'  day  who  dealt  more  or  less  in  magi- 
cal incantations.  Cf.  Matt.  12 :  27.  Certain  relatives  of  the  high 
priest's  family  here  in  Ephesus  were  engaging  in  religious  or  pseudo- 
religious  practices  with  the  same  commercial  spirit  that  seems  to 
have  characterized  the  heads  of  the  family  in  Jerusalem.  In  the 
crazy  man's  attack  upon  his  would-be  healers  the  power  of  Jesus 
was  proven  to  the  citizens  of  Ephesus  in  a  way  suited  to  their 
habits  of  thought. 

"The  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  magnified"  (v.  17).  Sooner  or 
later  into  every  great  movement  for  the  uplift  of  society  comes  the 
recognition  of  the  part  played  in  it  by  "the  Lord  Jesus."  Centuries 
pass,  but  He  stands  foremost  in  every  advanqe  Qf  humanity. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  "ACTS  in 


Study  XIV. — |)atil  antJ  ^id  9tfl;tf0ciate«  Carrp  tje  (ZTefitimottp 
into  9[0ia.    18:18—19:20 

Seventh  Day  :  The  Testimony  Overcomes  Superstition 

m  Asia  (Concluded).    19:8-20.    Paul  Writes 

TO  THE  Christians  in  Corinth. 

The  work  of  reformation  among  the  Ephesian  magicians  was 
thorough.  It  made  these  men  cut  off  all  possibility  of  returning  to 
their  dark  ways.  Read  vv.  18-19.  If  a  "piece  of  silver"  was  a 
denarius  or  drachma,  the  amount  equaled  about  50,000  days'  wages 
(cf.  Matt.  20:2),  that  is,  between  $50,000  and  $100,000. 

Verse  20  closes  the  fifth  great  division  of  the  book  of  Acts,  16 : 6 
—19 :  20.  Look  back  for  a  moment  over  the  titles  of  the  daily  les- 
sons in  Studies  XII,  XIII,  XIV  and  note  the  progress  of  the  narra- 
tive. What  has  been  Luke's  dominant  idea  in  this  division?  In 
determining  the  trend  of  thought  note  the  significant  statement  in 
19:21. 

During  these  three  years  (20:31)  in  Ephesus  Paul  carried  on  a 
spirited  correspondence  with  the  church  in  Corinth,  and  perhaps 
made  them  one  short  visit  in  which  he  endeavored  to  overcome  the 
opposition  to  himself  that  had  been  stirred  up  probably  by  the  Jeru- 
salem Pharisees  who  had  created  the  disturbance  in  South  Galatia. 
PkuI  handles  them  without  gloves  in  2  Cor.  11:4-15.  All  that  is 
extant  of  this  interesting  correspondence  is  the  so-called  First  Let- 
ter to  the  Corinthians  and  possibly  chapters  9-13  of  Second  Corin- 
thians. 

A  fundamental  source  of  weakness  in  the  lives  of  some  professing 
Christians  is  their  unreadiness  to  cut  entirely  loose  from  whatever 
might  lead  them  easily  back  into  the  old  life.  For  all  such  there  is 
an  inspiring  suggestion  in  the  picture  of  this  group  of  Ephesian 
Christians  standing  about  the  burning  books,  their  determined  faces 
lighted  by  the  flames  that  were  consuming  what  might  easily  be  a 
source  of  temptation  to  them.  The  possession  of  power  in  the  Chris- 
tian life  is  conditioned  upon  unreserved  renunciation  of  all  that 
ministers  to  evil.    "Abhor  that  which  is  evil." 


PART  VI 

THE  TESTIMONY  FINALLY  ESTABLISHED  BY  PAUL 
UNDER  GOD'S  DIRECTION  IN  ROME,  THE  CENTER 
OF  THE  GENTILE  WORLD,  IN  SPITE  OF  FIERCE  JEW- 
ISH OPPOSITION.    19:21—28:31. 

Study  XV. — Paul  Closes  His  Asiatic  Work  and  Starts  for  Jeru- 
salem by  Way  of  Macedonia  and  Achaia.     19:21 — 20:5. 

Study  XVI. — After  Many  Warnings  on  the  Way,  Paul  Faces 
Death  in  Jerusalem.    20 :  6 — 22 :  22. 

Study  XVII.— After  Two  Years  of  Suspense  in  Prison  Paul  Ap- 
peals to  the  Emperor.    22 :  23 — 25  :  12. 

Study  XVIII. — A  Last  Famous  Testimony  in  Caesarea  and  a 
Perilous  Voyage  to  Rome.    25 :  13 — 28 :  16. 

Study  XIX.— The  Testimony  Finally  Established  in  the  Capital 
of  the  World.    28 :  17-31. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  I15 

Study  XV.— Paul  Clofied  ^tfi  ^giatic  Wax'k  anK  Starts  foe 
3fetu0alem  b?  ^ap  of  ilHacctionia  anl>  9lc!)aia.    1 9 :  21—20 : 5 

First  Day:     The  Ephesian  Opposition  in  a  Frenzy. 

19:21-41 

Read  IQ :  21,  in  which  the  author  forecasts  the  substance  of  the 
last  great  section  of  his  history.  Two  associates  precede  Paul  into 
Macedonia,  to  insure  such  preparation  for  his  coming  as  will  enable 
him  to  accomplish  as  much  as  possible  in  the  short  time  he  will  be 
able  to  devote  to  each  church.    Read  v.  22. 

Now  follows  a  paragraph  (vv.  23-41)  which  Luke's  dramatic  sense 
leads  him  to  place  at  the  forefront  of  this  last  section.  The  section 
is  to  record  a  succession  of  perilous  experiences  through  which  Paul 
passes  on  his  way  to  Rome,  and  a  howling  crowd  of  frenzied  Arte- 
mis worshipers  passing  across  the  stage  prepares  the  reader  for  the 
dangers  that  are  to  follow.    Read  vv.  23-41. 

It  is  not  the  priests  or  the  political  custodians  of  the  popular  re- 
ligion that  oppose  Paul.  From  what  class  does  the  opposition 
come?    To  what  two,  or  three,  motives  do  they  appeal? 

Luke  is  interested  to  show  in  this  impressive  way  how  conspicu- 
ously successful  the  new  movement  has  been  in  the  entire  province. 
The  shrine  market  was  seriously  depressed!  These  miniature  tem- 
pos were  sold  in  great  numbers,  to  be  used  as  votive  offerings  in 
the  temple,  or  to  be  kept  at  home,  or  to  be  placed  in  the  graves  of 
deceased  friends  (Ramsay).  In  response  to  the  impassioned  appeal 
of  the  shrine-maker,  some  one  raised  the  sacred  Artemis  cry,  and 
the  company  started  for  the  great  open-air  theatre,  from  which  per- 
haps the  venerated  temple  of  Artemis  could  be  seen.  Great  numbers 
hearing  the  Artemis  cry  joined  the  crowd,  not  knowing  what  had 
gathered  it.  On  their  way  to  the  theatre  the  leaders  captured  some 
of  Paul's  company,  as  they  had  doubtless  planned  to  do. 

Greed  for  money  and  religious  pride  find  themselves  har4  pressed 
by  the  democratic  spirit  of  Jesus,  who  works  always  for  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  liberty  of  all  mea  and  against  the  special  privileges  of 
a  few. 


ii6  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XV.— JJaitl  Closefii  ^in  ^mtit  Watk  antr  §>tartfi  twc 
Jerttfialem  ftp  i^ap  of  iHaceUonta  anU  ^tUi^    19:2 1—20 : 5 

Second  Day:    The  Ephesian  Opposition  in  a  Frenzy 

(Concluded) .    19 :  21-41 

In  the  great  amphitheatre  the  leaders  of  the  ghetto,  fearful  that 
the  crowd  might  confuse  them  with  the  Christians,  brought  a  Jew 
named  Alexander  down  from  the  seats  to  the  stage  to  explain  that 
they  were  not  offenders.  If  he  were  the  person  mentioned  later  by 
Paul  (2  Tim.  4:  14)  he  was  a  coppersmith,  and  may  not  have  been 
too  ortho<iox  a  Jew  to  have  profited  by  the  shrine  trade !  The  sight 
of  one  who  was  a  Jew  and  who  was,  therefore,  known  not  to  be  an 
Artemis  worshiper  simply  enraged  the  crowd,  and  for  two  kours 
in  a  religious  frenzy  they  shouted  the  Artemis  cry.  This  cry  must 
have  been  something  sufficiently  rhythmical  to  lend  itself  to  repeated 
utterance,  like  the  cries  of  the  dervishes  of  the  East  to-day.  One 
manuscript  has  a  reading  which  suggests  the  exact  words:  "Me- 
ga-le  Ar-te-mis"  ("Great  Diana").  Finally  one  of  the  officials  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  the  exhausted  men  out  of  their  frenzy  and  made 
a  rational  statement  that  dispersed  them  all  to  their  homes.  What 
was  the  substance  of  his  argument?  Do  you  see  any  other  reason 
than  personal  friendship  that  may  have  made  the  Asiarchs  wish  to 
keep  Paul  out  of  the  theatre  ?  Cf.  16 :  37-39.  Soon  after  a  meet- 
ing, very  different  from  that  in  the  amphitheatre,  was  held  in  some 
commodious  place — perhaps  in  some  retired  spot  outside  the  city 
under  the  open  sky.  Read  20:  i,  and  let  your  imagination  picture 
what  took  place  in  this  meeting. 

"Paul,  having  sent  for  the  disciples  and  exhorted  them,  took  leave 
of  them"  (20:1).  The  great  apostle  had  labored  famously  in  the 
province,  but  the  ultimate  responsibility  for  the  perpetuation  and 
propagation  of  the  movement  rested  upon  ordinary  disciples.  It  is 
the  testimony  by  deed  and  word  of  the  ordinary  Christian  that  keeps 
Christianity  alive  in  the  world. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  117 

Study  XV.— JJatil  Cloficfii  ^ii  afiiatic  Wovk  anK  g>tartfi  for 
^ttvLnnlm  ip  Wslv  0^  i^acetioma  anU  9lcl)a(a.    19:21—20:5 

Third  Day:     Paul  Revisits   Macedonia   and   Again 
Writes  to  the  Christians  in  Corinth.   20 : 1-5 

Luke  here  passes  summarily  over  a  period  of  great  interest  in 
Paul's  personal  experience,  because  the  period  furnished  little  that 
was  of  importance  for  Luke's  purpose.  We  know  from  Paul's  ex- 
tant correspondence  with  the  Corinthian  church  that  he  left  Ephesus 
in  great  distress  of  mind  over  the  situation  in  Corinth.  His  relations 
with  the  Corinthian  church  had  become  so  strained  that  it  was  doubt- 
ful whether  they  would  receive  him  if  he  visited  them.  He  had 
sent  one  of  his  lieutenants,  named  Titus,  to  bring  about  a  better 
understanding  in  the  Corinthian  church,  and  expected  to  receive  a 
report  from  him  in  the  city  of  Troas,  where  Paul,  on  his  way  from 
Ephesus  to  Macedonia,  had  agreed  to  meet  him.  Titus  failed  to 
meet  him  there  and,  although  the  city  presented  an  excellent  op- 
portunity for  evangelistic  work,  Paul  was  too  much  worried  to 
utilize  it.  Read  2  Cor.  2 :  12-13.  He  went  on  into  Macedonia,  doubt- 
less visiting  Philippi  and  Thessalonica.  Somewhere  in  Macedonia 
Titus  met  him  with  a  report  from  Corinth  that  greatly  relieved  his 
mind.  He  immediately  wrote  2  Corinthians,  or  at  least  chapters  1-9. 
(Chapters  TO-13  were  very  possibly  part  of  a  separate  letter  written 
earlier  in  Ephesus,  and  were  later  put  by  the  Corinthian  church 
with  chapters  1-9.)     Read  2  Cor.  7:  5-16. 

During  this  hurried  journey  through  Macedonia  and  Achaia  Paul 
was  busily  engaged  in  an  enterprise  not  described  in  the  book  of 
Acts.  He  was  collecting  a  large  sum  of  money  from  all  the  Gentile 
churches  for  the  relief  of  the  many  needy  Christians  in  the  Jeru- 
salem church.  It  was  gathered  from  churches  as  far  apart  as  South 
Galatia  and  Corinth  (see  i  Cor.  16:  i).  In  the  letter  to  the  Roman 
Christians,  written  about  this  time,  Paul  states  the  purpose  of  the 
collection.  Read  Romans  15 :  25-27.  He  hoped  that  the  gift  would 
bind  the  two  elements  in  the  church  together.    Romans  15 :  30-3^- 

"Without  were  fightings,  within  were  fears"  (2  Cor.  7:5).  We 
are  not  spared  temporary  distress  and  anxiety  any  more  than  was 
Paul,  but  these  may  be  made  to  us,  as  to  him,  valuable  experiences, 
because  they  prepare  us  to  receive  God's  comfort  (7:6). 


A.  D.  57  (Zahn);  A.  D.  53  (52)  (Harnack). 


Ii8  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XV.— JJatil  CloBieg  ^is  ^mtit  Work  antr  §>tartfi;  for 
STerufiialem  6p  l^ap  of  ;pacct»onia  anH  ^cl^aia*    19:21—20:5 

Fourth  Day  :    Paul's  Appeal  to  the  Corinthian  Chris- 
tians FOR  Money.    2  Cor.  8 — 9 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  the  collection  which  bulked  so  large 
in  Paul's  mind  at  this  time,  read  rapidly  chapters  8-9  of  the  Second 
Letter  to  the  Corinthians,  which  show  a  masterly  knowledge  of  hu- 
man nature  and  the  motives  to  which  it  responds.  Read  the  chap- 
ters as  a  psychological  study,  and  if  ever  in  the  future  you  have 
occasion  to  make  an  appeal  for  money  you  will  do  well  to  return 
to  these  chapters  for  suggestions.  Note  that  Paul  uses  lower  motives 
as  well  as  the  highest. 

"See  that  you  abound  in  this  grace  also"  (8:7).  Paul  ranks  Chris- 
tian giving  with  the  fundamental  Christian  virtues,  faith,  knowl- 
edge, earnestness,  love.  Do  you  desire  an  increase  of  the  spirit  of 
generous  giving  just  as  really  as  you  desire  an  increase  of  faith? 
Are  you  employing  any  means  to  secure  it? 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ^ACTS  119 

Study  XV.— *^atil  Clofiiefii  ^in  ^giatic  Wovfi  anH  Starts  tax 
STerufiialem  bp  W^v  of  iHaceiouia  antj  ^cjjaia.    19:21— 20 ;5 

Fifth  Day  :    Paul  Revisits  Achaia  and  Writes  to  the 
Christians  in  Rome.    20: 1-5 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  when  Paul  reached  Corinth  he  found  them 
ready  with  their  money!  The  reconciliation  with  them  after  the 
trying  period  of  their  estrangement  from  him  must  have  been  very 
satisfactory  to  both  parties. 

It  was  apparently  near  the  close  of  these  winter  months  in  Corinth 
that  Paul  wrote  the  most  famous  of  all  his  extant  literary  products, 
the  letter  to  the  Christians  in  Rome.  There  is  time  only  to  note  its 
general  setting  and  purpose.  First  note  the  evidence,  in  Rom. 
15:25-26,  that  the  letter  was  written  at  the  time  just  suggested. 

It  becomes  apparent  also  from  15 :  23-28  that  Paul  had  begun  to 
plan  a  Spanish  mission.  Since  he  must  report  to  his  Lord  that  he 
had  preached  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles  of  the  entire  empire,  it  was 
necessary  that  he  should  go  to  the  western  edge  of  the  world.  Per- 
haps he  thought  he  could  send  lieutenants  into  Britain.  To  succeed 
in  Spain,  he  must  be  sure  of  his  relation  to  the  church  in  Rome. 

Since  it  was  so  important  that  the  Roman  Christians  should  sym- 
pathetically support  him  in  his  Spanish  mission,  he  took  pains  to 
acquaint  them  thoroughly  with  his  views.  He  had  learned  from  bit- 
ter experience  in  South  Galatia  and  Corinth  the  points  at  which  his 
theological  opponents  could  misrepresent  him.  Very  likely  he  sus- 
pected that  those  whom  he  had  just  driven  from  the  field  in  Corinth 
would  hurry  to  Rome  when  they  learned  of  his  plan  for  a  Spanish 
mission,  in  order  to  prejudice  the  Roman  church  against  him.  In 
order  to  prevent  this  he  wrote  a  full  statement  of  such  of  his  views 
as  were  most  fundamental  and  most  liable  to  misrepresentation.  See 
how  the  memory  of  misrepresentation  appears  in  Romans  3 : 7-8 ; 
6:1;  6:15,  7-7,  13;  9:1-3. 

"I  am  a  debtor  both  to  Greeks  and  barbarians"  (Rom.  1:14)-  Paid 
felt  that  all  men  had  a  right  to  know  the  facts  about  Jesus  Christ 
and  His  salvation.  That  there  should  be  good  tidings  in  the  world 
from  God  for  all  men,  and  some  men  not  know  them,  seemed  to  him 
an  intolerable  thought. 


A.  D,  58  (Zahn);  A.  D.  53-54  (62-53)  (Harnacl^. 


120  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XV.— JJatil  Clogeg  ^in  ^Ifiiatic  Wdvk  anH  Starts  for 
^txvLUKltm  bp  l^ap  o£  iHaceUonia  anH  ac|)aia.    19:21 — 20:5 

Sixth  Day  :    Paul  Revisits  Achaia  and  Writes  to  the 
Christians  in  Rome  (Concluded).    20: 1-5 

Paul's  Letter  to  the  Roman  Christians  breaks  up  into  several  sec- 
tions which  you  will  not  have  time  now  to  read.  In  chapters  1-5 
he  shows  that  all  men  need  God's  forgiveness,  and  that  those  who 
turn  from  their  sins  and  give  themselves  in  penitent  faith  to  the 
control  of  the  personal  revelation  of  God  made  by  the  crucified 
Jesus  receive  God's  loving  forgiveness.  Read  5:  i-ii,  in  which  the 
thought  of  the  section  is  summed  up. 

In  chapters  6-8  Paul  describes  the  triumphant  life  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God  enables  the  forgiven  disciple  of  Jesus  to  live.  Read 
8:  12-17,  38-39. 

In  chapters  9-1 1  Paul  discusses  the  perplexing  fact  that  God's 
own  chosen  people  have,  as  a  nation,  rejected  God's  Messiah.  He 
maintains  that  this  situation  is  no  surprise  to  God  (read  9:6)  ;  he 
shows  what  the  national  fault  has  been  (read  9:30 — 10:4);  and 
prophesies  that  the  nation  will  in  time  accept  Jesus  as  its  Messiah 
(read  11:  25-27). 

In  chapters  12-16  Paul  takes  up  very  incisively  the  ethical  side  of 
Christianity,  discusses  with  great  practical  wisdom  difficulties  that 
are  apt  to  arise  in  church  life  (e.  g.,  14:  1-6),  and  speaks  more 
personally  of  his  own  immediate  plans  and  prospects  (e.  g., 
15:22-29). 

"The  word  is  nigh  thee."  Read  Rom.  10:8-9.  Each  moment  is  a 
fresh  opportunity  for  a  man  to  connect  himself  with  Jesus  as  Lord 
and  to  enter  at  once  upon  an  eternal  career.  Jesus  Christ's  eternity 
has  already  begun.  Accustom  yourself  to  think  of  your  non-Chris- 
tian friend  as  eligible  for  such  an  experience  now,  and  your  prayer 
and  effort  for  him  will  gain  in  expectancy. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  121 

Study  XV.— JJatil  Clasefi  l^ifii  ^mtit  Wat'k  mti  Starts  fot 
STentsalem  bp  W^v  ^^  iHaceiionia  anH  a(|)aia«    19:21—20:5 

Seventh  Day:    Paul  Starts  for  Jerusalem.    20: 1-5 

After  Paul  had  come  to  an  amicable  understanding  with  the 
Corinthian  Christians,  had  received  their  offering  for  the  Jerusalem 
church,  and  had  provided  for  the  Spar^sh  mission  by  writing  to 
the  Christians  in  Rome,  he  engaged  passage  for  Palestine.  Suddenly 
he  became  aware  that  among  his  prospective  fellow-passengers  were 
a  number  of  bigoted  Jewish  Passover  pilgrims  who  planned  to  as- 
sassinate him  on  the  voyage.  His  success  in  winning  back  the 
Corinthian  church,  his  ambitious  plans  for  further  work  in  Spain, 
his  masterly  effort  to  conciliate  the  conservative  Jewish  element  in 
Jerusalem  by  his  gift  from  Gentile  Christendom,  made  them  des- 
perate. He  gave  up  his  passage  probably  at  the  last  moment  and 
went  northward  by  land  into  Macedonia.     Read  v.  3. 

In  v.  4  appear  the  names  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the  con- 
tributing churches  to  carry  their  gift  to  Jerusalem.  Note  the  places 
from  which  they  come.  Provision  had  been  previously  made  by 
Paul  for  such  a  committee.    Read  i  Cor.  16 :  3. 

It  is  uncertain  to  how  many  persons  the  word  "these"  in  v.  5 
refers.  Note  also  that  possibly  the  phrase,  "as  far  as  Asia"  (v.  4), 
ought  to  be  omitted.  The  sudden  discovery  of  the  plot  to  assassinate 
Paul  may  have  disarranged  the  plans  of  the  various  members  of  the 
committee. 

Note  the  occurrence  again  of  the  pronouns  "us"  and  "we"  in 
vv.  5-6,  and  compare  with  16:  17;  17:  i.  Luke  seems  to  have  re- 
joined the  party  at  the  place  where  he  left  Paul  some  years  before. 

Paul  was  able,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  distractions,  to  write  such 
a  letter  as  that  to  the  Romans,  because  the  great  thoughts  expressed 
in  that  letter  were  the  permanent  furniture  of  his  mind.  Keeping 
one's  mind  steadily  on  certain  great  ideas  and  one's  life  steadily  re- 
sponsive to  them  makes  great  achievements  possible  under  conditions 
that  would  seem  likely  to  render  any  successful  effort  impossible. 


122  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XVI. — lifter  JHanp  l^aminfffi  on  tlje  l^ap,  |)attl  latcfit 
2Dcat|)  in  3feru6alem.    20 : 6—22 :  22 

First    Day:      The    Remarkable    Incident    in    Troas. 

20:  6-i6 

Read  v.  6.  The  "days  of  unleavened  bread"  would  be  of  signifi- 
cance to  Christians  as  the  anniversary  of  the  death  and  resurrection 
of  Jesus,  and  Jewish  Christians  would  naturally  continue  their  pre- 
Christian  observance  of  these  days  with  a  devotion  increased  by  the 
Christian  associations  connected  with  the  period.  Read  vv.  7-12,  and 
note  evidence  that  the  author  was  an  eye-witness. 

Note  in  2  Cor.  2:  12-13  the  reason  for  Paul's  wishing  to  spend  a 
full  week  here,  although  hurrying  to  Jerusalem  (Acts  20:  16).  The 
first  day  of  the  week  (v.  7)  seems  already  to  have  become  the  day 
for  Christian  meetings  instead  of  the  Jewish  Sabbath.  Cf.  i  Cor. 
16 :  2.  The  "breaking  of  bread"  seems  to  have  been  connected  with 
the  observance  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Cf.  i  Cor,  10 :  16.  The  men- 
tion of  "many  lights"  in  v.  8  is  perhaps  an  assurance  that  there 
could  have  been  no  such  immoral  practices  as  were  sometimes 
charged  against  Christians.  (Cf.  i  Thess.  2:3,  "uncleanness.")  Or 
it  may  be  to  account  for  the  lad's  sleepiness. 

Does  the  author  think  that  this  lad  (v.  9)  was  dead?  Did  Paul 
consider  him  to  be  dead?  The  people  were  about  to  raise  the  death- 
wail  over  him  (v.  10). 

Trace  the  route  (vv.  13-15)  on  the  map.  Did  Paul's  desire  to  be 
in  Jerusalem  at  Pentecost  (v.  16)  have  any  connection  with  the 
delivery  of  ihe  money  collected  from  the  western  churches? 

Imagine  the  conversation  of  this  group  of  Christian  gentlemen 
sailing  over  these  blue  waters,  made  memorable  by  their  voyage  I 
We  naturally  think  of  Paul  as  a  companionable  man,  for  true  Chris- 
tian culture  develops  qualities  that  make  one  companionable. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  123 

Study  XVL— ^fter  JItanp  ^aminfffi  on  tl^e  ^ap,  |JattI  iFacetf 
2)eatl)  in  STerttgalcm.    20 : 6—22 :  22 

Second  Day  :    Farewell  to  Asia.    20 :  17-38 

Paul  felt  that  his  work  in  this  part  of  the  world  was  over.  He 
had,  perhaps  during  his  recent  three  months  in  Greece  (20:  3),  even 
entered  Illyricum,  and  there  was  no  longer  any  place  for  him  in 
these  regions.  Read  Romans  15 :  18-23.  He  does  not  expect  to 
come  this  way  again  before  he  meets  his  Lord.  Read  Acts  20 :  25,  38. 
Therefore,  it  is  through  the  elders  of  the  metropolitan  church  in 
Ephesus  that  he  sends  his  farewell  to  Asia.  They  are  to  be  leaders 
in  the  Christian  work  of  the  province.  P.ead  vv.  17-35,  regarding 
them  as  reporting  the  retrospect  and  prospect  of  a  great  witness,  and 
confine  your  attention  for  the  present  to  that  which  stands  out  clearly 
in  retrospect  only. 

What  did  Paul  conceive  his  life-work  to  be?  How  came  this  to 
be  his  life-work? 

What  is  the  "gospel  of  the  grace  of  God"  (v.  24)  ?  And  how 
does  one  "testify"  to  it? 

Jesus  Christ  had  given  Paul  his  life  commission,  not  because  of 
any  special  favor  with  which  He  regarded  Paul.  Jesus  had  been 
moved  to  the  unusual  demonstration  on  the  Damascus  road  because 
of  His  habitual  "compassion  on  the  multitudes."  "To  this  end  have 
I  appeared  unto  thee,  to  appoint  thee  a  minister  and  a  witness"  to 
the  multitudes  in  darkness  (Acts  26:16-18).  Have  you  ever  taken 
seriously  your  life  commission  from  Jesus  Christ?  Do  you  "minis- 
ter" in  any  way  to  anybody?  And  do  you  have  anything  of  im- 
portance to  which  you  can  "testify"  as  a  "witness"? 


124  ^^^  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XVI.— Sifter  JHanp  ^aminffg  on  i^t  ^ap,  JJaul  iPatetf 
^eatlb  in  ^ertifialem.    20 : 6—22 :  22 

Third  Day:    Farewell  to  Asia  (Concluded),    20: 17-38 

Read  vv.  17-38  again,  noting  what  were  the  salient  features  in 
Paul's  prospect.    To  what  is  he  looking  forward? 

Evidently  there  is  plenty  of  trouble  ahead.  The  local  prophets  in 
every  church  that  he  visited  warned  him  that  this  was  the  case 
(v.  23).  He  could  already  feel  in  spirit  the  pressure  of  bonds  upon 
his  body  (v.  22).  There  was  also  danger  ahead  for  the  church. 
Wolfish  persons  from  without  would  savagely  attack  the  faith  of 
the  church  as  such  persons  had  recently  done  in  Corinth  (v,  29). 
Within  the  church  ambitious  persons  would  try  to  gather  parties  to 
follow  their  leadership  (v.  30). 

Paul  faced  this  dark  prospect  with  composure  and  good  cheer 
because  of  two  considerations.  One  of  them  appears  in  v.  28.  What 
is  it?  The  other  appears  in  v.  32,  "the  word  of  his  grace,"  that  is, 
the  message  of  his  kindness,  namely,  the  gospel.  Paul  felt  that  this 
message  was  so  adapted  to  human  need  that  men  could  be  relied 
on  to  accept  it  and  be  built  up  by  it  out  of  weakness  into  power, 
out  of  sin  into  righteous  living.  There  would  always  be  among  the 
children  of  men  a  church  illustrating  that  which  had  been  the  domi- 
nant characteristic  of  the  life  of  Jesus,  namely,  the  joyful  helping 
of  the  weak.  There  would  always  be  men  and  women  being  trained 
in  the  unselfish  use  of  power. 

After  the  retrospect  and  prospect  these  men,  who  were  bound  to- 
gether by  the  strongest  ties  that  bind  men  in  time  or  eternity, 
kneeled  before  the  Lord  who  gave  them  their  unity,  rose  up,  kissed 
their  friend  and  parted  from  him  for  a  season  (vv.  36-38), 

The  dominant  spirit  of  Christianity  may  be  expressed  in  homely 
fashion  by  the  simple  word,  HELP.  "Ye  ought  to  HELP  the  weak** 
(v.  35).    To  help  them  become  strong,  of  course. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  125 

Study  XVL— ^fter  iltanp  i^aminfffi  an  ibt  W^v*  P^ul  jFaccd 
Deatl)  in  f  erufialem*    20 : 6—22 :  22 

Fourth  Day  :    The  Witness  Advancing  Toward  Peril. 

21 : 1-14 

Luke,  with  keen  literary  instinct,  so  selects  and  arranges  his  ma- 
terial as  to  prepare  his  reader  for  the  great  peril  that  awaits  Paul 
in  Jerusalem.  Read  vv.  1-14,  noting  the  impressiveness  with  which 
the  local  prophets  warn  Paul  of  the  approaching  crisis. 

We  have  already  noted  the  chance  afforded  Luke  in  Csesarea  (v.  8) 
to  gain  first-hand  information  regarding  the  events  described  in 
chapters  8  and  10.  Paul  had  once  chased  Philip  out  of  Jerusalem 
(8:  1-5)  !  Luke  had  here  also  an  impressive  illustration  of  the  ac- 
tivity of  Christian  women.  His  gospel  surpasses  others  in  the  promi- 
nence that  it  gives  to  women. 

In  Csesarea  a  prophet  from  Judaea  itself  came  to  meet  them  and 
showed  Paul  how  he  would  soon  look  as  a  captive  in  Jerusalem. 
He  used  the  ominous  words,  "deliver  him  into  the  hands  of  the  Gen- 
tiles." The  words  seem  to  imply  the  execution  of  a  death  sentence. 
Cf.  Luke  18:  32,  where  Jesus  used  the  words  in  this  sense. 

It  was  not  too  late  for  Paul  to  turn  back,  Agabus  made  it  evi- 
dent that  the  Jerusalem  brethren  did  not  expect  him  to  come  far- 
ther. The  committee  could  deliver  the  money  to  the  church.  The 
members  of  the  committee  with  the  local  Csesarean  friends  unite  in 
beseeching  Paul  not  to  go  farther  (v.  12).  Paul  himself  knew  well 
the  fanatical  temper  of  the  city,  especially  at  this  sacred  season  of 
the  religious  year.  Those  who  planned  his  assassination  in  Corinth 
(20:3)  would  be  waiting  for  him  in  Jerusalem.  He  knew  that  it 
was  the  slaughter  city  of  God's  prophets,  a  city  some  of  whose  prin- 
cipal points  of  interest  were  the  tombs  of  the  great  men  of  God 
that  it  had  murdered.  And  now  the  city  sat  in  sullen,  vindictive 
hate,  quiet  but  alert,  to  seize  him  as  its  latest  victim.  Luke  with 
evident  pride  in  his  hero  reports  Paul's  decisive  reply  (vv.  13-14)- 


"Ready  .  .  .  to  die  .  .  .  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus" 
(v.  13).  A  characteristic  of  our  Christian  faith  is  the  affection  of 
its  adherents  for  a  person.  They  do  not  merely  venerate  His  mem- 
ory or  adopt  the  principles  He  taught,  but  they  love  Him  as  a 
present  reality  in  their  lives. 


126  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

SrtTBT  XVI.— lifter  jHanp  ^arnnifffi  on  tje  l^ap,  Paul  ifacwj 
Deatlj  in  Sentfiialm.    20 : 6— 22 j  22 

Fifth  Day:    Paul  Reaches  Jerusalem  and  Makes  an 

Extreme  Effort  to  Conciliate  Jewish 

Opposition.    21 :  15-26 

From  Csesarea  the  committee  went  probably  on  horseback  to  Jeru- 
salem, stopping,  according  to  one  manuscript,  one  night  on  the  way 
with  one  who  had  very  early  become  a  Christian  and  who  probably 
gave  Luke  valuable  information  for  his  history.    Read  vv.  15-16. 

Representatives  of  the  Jerusalem  church  hospitably  met  the  dis- 
tinguished travelers,  and  conducted  them  to  the  lodgings  that  had 
been  prepared  for  them.  The  very  next  day  James,  the  Lord's 
brother,  and  his  board  of  elders,  gave  them  a  formal  reception.  None 
of  the  Twelve  seem  to  have  been  in  Jerusalem.     Read  vv.  17-18. 

They  evidently  approve  of  Paul  and  his  work,  but  there  are  tens 
of  thousands  ("myriads")  of  Christian  Pharisees  now  visiting  the 
city  to  attend  the  Pentecostal  festival  who  regard  Paul  as  an  enemy 
of  God  and  wish  that  he  were  dead.  James  believes  that  this  feel- 
ing is  due  to  their  misunderstanding  of  Paul,  and  he  suggests  an 
action  by  which  Paul  can  correct  this  misconception  without  in  the 
least  compromising  the  liberty  of  his  Gentile  converts  over  the  world. 
Read  vv.  20-25.  James'  suggestion  was  that  Paul  should  meet  the 
expenses  connected  with  the  accomplishment  of  the  Nazirite  vow  in 
the  case  of  four  orthodox  Jewish  Christians,  join  them  in  their  final 
ceremonies,  and  so  show  that  he  encourages  obedience  rather  than 
disobedience  to  the  Mosaic  law  in  the  case  of  Jewish  Christians.  Paul 
was  accustomed  to  conform  his  conduct  to  Jewish  ideals  when  he 
lived  among  Jews  (i  Cor.  9:  19-20)  and  so  assented.    Read  v.  26. 

Was  Paul's  real  attitude  toward  the  Mosaic  law  what  James  seems 
to  have  thought  it  to  be?  Cf.  i  Cor.  9:21;  Gal.  6:  15.  Where  did 
he  get  the  money  with  which  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  vow? 

Paul  had  come  to  Jerusalem  bent  on  doing  everything  he  could 
to  bring  the  Jewish  and  Gentile  elements  into  closer  sympathy,  and 
went  to  the  very  verge  of  consistency  in  accomplishing  his  purpose. 

Even  the  best  intentions  are  sometimes  misunderstood,  and  those 
who  suffer  under  such  circumstances  can  only  patiently  take  what, 
comes.    Some  time  the  misunderstanding  will  be  cleared  away. 

A.  D.  58  (Zahn);  A.  D.  54  (53)  (Harnack). 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  127 

frvmr  XVI.— tfter  iHanp  Wumin^is  on  tje  ^ap,  JJaul  ifacetf 
^cat!)  in  ^tvnuAUm*    20 : 6—22 :  22 

Sixth  Day:     Facing  Death.     21:^7-36 

Ordinary  Jewish  Christians,  who  were  ready,  like  the  "myriads" 
of  V.  20,  to  keep  the  Mosaic  law,  were  no  longer  offensive  to  the 
non-Christian  Jews.  They  were  no  longer  "persecuted  for  the 
cross  of  Christ."  (Gal.  6:  12.)  Such  tolerance,  however,  did  not 
extend  to  Paul,  whose  heinous  offense  it  was  to  encourage  Gentile 
Christians  to  look  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  without  keeping  the 
Mosaic  law.  He  was  bitterly  hated  all  up  and  down  the  Jewish 
world.  He  had  not  been  long  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  before  this 
bitter  hate  assaulted  and  nearly  killed  him.  Some  of  his  old  Jewish 
enemies  from  Asia  saw  him  in  the  temple  precincts  at  the  time  of 
his  Nazirite  vow.  They  had,  a  little  before,  seen  him  in  the  streets 
of  the  city  with  the  Asiatic  Gentile,  Trophimus,  one  of  the  com- 
mittee. Their  prejudice  instantly  leaped  to  the  conclusion  that  he 
had  taken  him  into  that  part  of  the  temple  area  which  Gentiles 
were  forbidden,  under  penalty  of  death,  to  enter.  He  was  not  only 
crowding  Gentiles  into  the  church,  but  into  the  holy  temple  itself! 
They  circulated  this  report,  and  in  a  few  hours  crowds  of  maddened 
Jews  were  racing  through  the  narrow  streets  toward  the  southeast 
quarter  where  the  temple  stood.  Every  one  was  looking  for  Paul, 
and  when  finally  some  one  recognized  him  in  one  of  the  temple 
colonnades  they  pounced  upon  him  and  dragged  him  out  of  the  tem- 
ple area  into  the  city  street.  The  temple  police  instantly  closed  the 
gates  leading  from  the  city  into  the  temple  court,  and  Paul  was 
face  to  face  with  death.    Read  vv.  27-31. 

Claudius  Lysias,  the  chiliarch,  in  the  Roman  barracks  nearby 
heard  that  there  was  a  riot.  He  came  on  the  run  with  several  cap- 
tains and  a  detachment  of  soldiers,  forced  his  way  through  the 
crowd,  and  in  a  moment  Paul  was  between  two  soldiers,  chained  to 
each.  The  soldiers  lifted  him  from  his  feet,  and  the  mob  surged 
toward  the  barracks  steps.    Read  vv.  31-36. 

Unreadiness  to  surrender  special  privileges  or  eagerness  to  secure 
them  is  a  tap-root  of  evil.  "Away  with  him"  (v.  36)  they  said 
also  of  Him  who  died  to  make  special  privileges  the  common  pre- 
rogative of  alL 


128  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XVI.— after  iHanp  W^xnin%6  on  t|)e  1^aj>,  JJattl  Jacci 
2Deat()  in  Jerufialem.    20 : 6—  22 :  22 

Seventh  Day  :    Paul's  Testimony  Before  His  Country- 
men.   21 :  37 — 22 :  22 

Paul's  ability  to  speak  Greek  convinced  the  chiliarch  that  his 
prisoner  was  not  a  certain  famous  insurgent  whom  he  was  hoping 
to  arrest.  Paul's  master  passion  was  the  testimony,  and  this  was  a 
chance.  His  readiness  to  speak  surprised  the  mob  into  silence, 
which  was  deepened  when  they  found  that,  though  a  foreign-born 
Jew,  he  could  use  the  Aramaic  vernacular.  Read  21 :  37 — 22 : 2. 
Judge  from  Rom.  9 : 1-5  what  his  frame  of  mind  was. 

Read  now  22 :  3-21,  noting  Paul's  emphasis  of  all  details  that  had 
a  conciliatory  tendency,  especially  vv.  3,  5,  12,  14,  17,  19,  20.  Paul 
shows  that  he  is  no  hater  of  his  nation,  as  he  is  supposed  to  be 
(21 :  28).  It  was  against  his  preference,  and  in  obedience  to  a  direct 
command  of  God,  that  he  went  among  the  Gentiles.  The  offensive 
word  "Gentiles"  was  tactfully  withheld  until  the  very  end,  but 
when  at  last  it  did  come  out  it  aroused  their  fury  (v.  22).  The 
same  evil  spirit  that  had  shrieked  and  yelled  for  the  blood  of  Jesus 
when  He  stood  against  the  desire  of  the  priest  and  rabbi  for  special 
privileges  was  still  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  Paul  turned  sorrow- 
fully into  the  barracks,  and  the  city  blindly  faced  its  approaching 
doom. 

"Thou  Shalt  be  a  witness  for  him"  (v.  15).  Our  mission  is  to  call 
the  attention  of  men  in  a  convincing  way,  by  a  convincing  life  and 
words,  to  the  existence  of  an  invisible  Christ.  We  are  to  live  our 
lives  with  such  constant  reference  to  the  Invisible  Presence  that 
those  who  do  not  see  01  know  Him  shall  come  to  think  of  Him  as  a 
reality. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  129 

Study  XVIL— lifter  Ctoo  Jeare  of  ^ufipenfie  in  JJrifion  JJatil 
appeals  to  tl)e  ©mperor*    22:23—25:12 

First  Day  :    Preliminary  Examinations.    22 :  23 — 23 :  10 

Inside  the  barracks  Paul's  back  was  at  once  bared,  his  hands 
stretched  above  his  head  and  tied  to  the  whipping-post  ready  for  the 
scourging  thongs.  Read  vv.  24-29.  Note  the  quiet  pride  with  which 
Paul  meets  the  chiliarch's  suspicion  that  he  is  too  poor  to  have  been 
able  to  purchase  citizenship.  Stanch  Pharisees,  such  as  Paul's  an- 
cestors were,  would  hardly  have  purchased  citizenship.  It  was  prob- 
ably conferred  upon  them  for  some  distinguished  service  to  the 
state. 

The  chiliarch  proposed  to  find  out  from  the  Jewish  sanhedrin 
what  crime  the  prisoner  had  committed.  Read  23:  i-io,  remember- 
ing that  Paul,  if  not  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  sanhedrin,  had,  as 
a  rabbinical  student  (22:3),  often  attended  its  sessions.  What 
policy  did  Paul  pursue  in  making  his  defense? 

The  statement  in  v.  i  applies  to  his  career  as  a  Christian,  which 
was  the  period  under  discussion. 

The  Jews  whitened  the  walls  (v.  3)  of  their  rock  grave-chambers 
(Matt.  23:27),  so  that  men  might  see  them  in  the  night  and  not  be 
defiled  by  touching  them. 

Paul's  reply  (v.  5)  might  be  translated:  "I  did  not  know  that  he 
was  a  high  priest."  He  had  heard  a  voice  commanding  that  he  be 
struck,  but  he  had  not  seen  who  spoke.  With  reference  to  any 
member  of  the  high  priest's  family  (called  high  priests;  cf.  v.  14) 
Paul  would  not  have  used  such  language,  and  frankly  apologized. 

Paul  appealed  to  the  fact  that  he  came  of  an  old  Pharisaic  family 
and  that,  as  a  Nazarene,  he  was  in  reality  standing  for  one  of  the 
fundamental  positions  of  Pharisaism,  namely,  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead   (v.  6). 

The  chiliarch  found  that  he  could  get  very  little  light  on  the  case 
from  the  sanhedrin  (10)  ! 

"Thou  Shalt  not  speak  evil  of  a  ruler  of  thy  people"  (v.  5).  Rev- 
erence for  regularly  constituted  authority,  so  uncommon  in  our  day 
and  nation,  is  an  essential  element  in  Christian  character. 


I30  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XVIL— after  Ctoo  gcarfi  of  S^ttfipcnse  in  T^tmn  Paul 
Slppealg  to  tl)e  Cmpcror.    22 :  23—25 : 1 2 

Second  Day:     Jesus  Encourages  His  Witness,  and  a 

Conspiracy  Against  the  Testimony  Is 

Defeated.    23: 11-24 

In  a  vision  during  a  sleepless  night,  or  perhaps  in  a  dream,  Jesus 
drew  near  to  Paul  and  assured  him  that  he  should  yet  testify  in  the 
capital  of  the  Gentile  world.    Read  v.  ii;  cf.  i8:  9;  22:  18-21. 

When  Paul's  bitter  enemies  saw  that  there  would  be  at  least  no 
speedy  conviction  of  him  by  the  sanhedrin,  forty  desperate  men 
vowed  that  they  would  neither  eat  nor  drink  until  they  had  assassi- 
nated him.  They  did  not  shrink  from  planning  an  attack  upon 
Roman  soldiers.  The  brutal  and  degraded  character  of  the  sanhedrin 
leaders  in  these  degenerate  days  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  these 
assassins  boldly  counted  on  their  cooperation.     Read  vv.  12-15. 

The  defeat  of  this  conspiracy  was  accomplished  in  a  very  simple 
but  extremely  interesting  way,  and  the  account  of  it  is  presented  in 
Luke's  most  engaging  style.     Read  vv.  16-24. 

Many  questions  arise  in  this  connection.  Was  Paul's  brother-in- 
law  a  member  of  the  sanhedrin,  and  therefore  cognizant  of  the  plot? 
Or  was  this  sister  a  widow?  Did  she  perhaps  not  live  in  Jerusalem 
at  all,  but  rather  in  Tarsus,  and  had  this  young  man  been  sent  to 
Jerusalem  to  be  trained  by  the  rabbis  in  the  hope  that  he  would 
make  good  his  uncle  Saul's  grievous  failure  to  maintain  the  Phari- 
saic fame  of  the  aristocratic  family?  Was  this  young  man,  there- 
fore, a  student  who  had  the  privilege  of  attending  the  sessions  of 
the  sanhedrin,  and  in  this  way  became  cognizant  of  the  conspiracy? 

Jesus*  personal  interest  in  the  success  of  the  testimony  comes 
clearly  out  in  v.  11.  He  was  and  is  the  Invisible  Superintendent  of 
this  great  campaign  of  testimony.  His  personal  consideration  for 
His  witnesses  is  also  evident.  He  does  not  simply  use  them  as  tools. 
"No  longer  do  I  call  you  servants.  ...  I  have  called  you 
friends"  (John  15:15).  He  knew  that  Paul  was  being  bitterly  dis- 
appointed over  the  outcome  of  his  long  anticipated  visit  to  Jerusalem 
and  sorely  needed  comfort.  So  He  came  to  him  with  words  of  cheer  * 
and  promise  of  further  achievement   Read  v.  ii. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  131 

Study  XVII.— Sifter  Ctoo  gearfi  of  Sufipenfie  in  prison  Paul 
Slppealg  to  t[)e  Cmperor,    22:23 — 25:12 

Third  Day  :    Paul  Delivered  to  the  Procurator  Felix. 

23 :  23-35 

Read  23 :  23-24,  31.  What  thoughts  were  probably  in  Paul's  mind 
during  the  night  ride  with  the  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs  and  the  rattle 
of  spears  against  shields  sounding  in  his  ears? 

Read  23 :  26-30.    Is  the  representation  of  the  chiliarch  accurate  ? 

Read  vv.  31-35.  The  procurator  Felix  was  a  man  perhaps  now  in 
middle  life.  He  had  been  a  slave,  but  he  and  his  abler  brother  had 
known  how  to  make  their  way  in  a  court  in  which  deftness  in  com- 
mitting crime  and  helping  prominent  personages  to  gratify  lust  were 
prime  requisites  for  success.  The  two  young  men  had  succeeded  so 
well  that  both  had  gained  their  freedom.  The  brother,  Pallas,  had 
become  the  favorite  of  an  emperor,  and  Felix  had  received  an  im- 
portant procuratorship  in  the  East.  He  had  been  a  forceful  admin- 
istrator and  had  been  particularly  vigorous  in  the  suppression  of 
brigands  and  revolutionists  (cf.  24:2).  He  had  been  speedily  fas- 
cinated by  one  of  the  beautiful  girls  of  the  Herodian  family,  who 
had  married  a  native  prince.  He  hired  a  magician  to  do  for  him  a 
piece  of  disreputable  work,  the  like  of  which  he  had  himself  prob- 
ably often  done  in  his  younger  days,  namely,  induce  her  to  abandon 
her  husband  and  marry  him.    (Josephus,  Antiquities  20:7:2.) 

It  was  this  man  to  whom  Paul  was  delivered  and  who  immediately 
asked  him  the  formal  question  (v.  34)  customary  in  such  cases. 
"Herod's  Prsetorium"  (v.  35)  was  the  official  residence  of  the  procu- 
rator, and  probably  contained  a  prison  and  quarters  for  soldiers. 

When  had  Paul  been  in  Csesarea  last?  What  friends  had  he 
there  ? 

Paul's  many  years  of  active  missionary  life  are  now  succeeded  by 
the  quiet  routine  of  prison  life.  Perhaps  the  thought  of  Paul,  the 
prisoner,  did  as  much  to  inspire  and  steady  the  Christians  through- 
out the  western  world  as  he  in  his  freedom  could  have  done.  It  is 
Aot  always  the  most  "active"  life  that  is  the  most  useful. 


132  NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS 

Study  XVII. — after  QTtoo  geaw  of  S>tt«(pettfi!e  in  J}rwon  Paul 
Slppeala  to  t^e  €mperor,    22:23—25:12 

Fourth  Day:    Paul's  Hearing  Before  the  Procurator 
Felix.    24:1-23 

Luke  possessed  great  skill  in  making  summary  reports  of  public 
addresses.  Although  these  reports  are  brief,  they  seem  to  retain 
the  characteristic  features  of  their  originals.  We  have  already  had 
occasion  to  see  this  in  the  different  types  of  address  found  in  chap- 
ters 2,  13,  17.  Read  24:1-9,  noting  the  professional  swing  with 
which  the  rather  unctuous  lawyer,  hired  for  the  occasion,  states  his 
case. 

Is  it  probable  that  Luke  was  present?  We  have  seen  that  Luke 
reached  Jerusalem  with  Paul  ("us,"  21:  18),  and  we  know  that  later 
he  sailed  for  Rome  with  Paul  ("we,"  27:  i). 

Note  carefully  the  four  charges  made  by  the  lawyer,  the  first  very 
general,  the  other  three  more  specific.  The  charge  that  Paul  was 
an  "insurrectionist"  might  have  been  thought  particularly  likely  to 
enlist  Felix  against  him,  for  the  procurator  seems  to  have  been 
specially  active  against  such  (Josephus,  Antiquities  20:8:5).  As 
soon  as  the  lawyer  had  made  his  statement  the  high  priest,  who 
was  present  in  person,  surrounded  by  an  imposing  group  of  san- 
hedrin  dignitaries,  vigorously  corroborated  the  lawyer's  indictment 
(v.  9).  They  do  not  intend  to  let  Paul  escape  them  this  time. 
What  measure  of  truth  was  there  in  any  of  the  charges? 

The  procurator  indicated  to  Paul  by  a  nod  ("beckoned,"  v.  10) 
that  he  might  begin  his  defense. 

"And  when  the  governor  had  beckoned  unto  him  to  speak,  Paul 
answered"  (v.  10).  The  procurator  seemed  to  himself  and  to  the 
public  of  his  day  to  be  a  far  more  important  personage  than  the 
Jewish  prisoner  whose  case  he  was  hearing  with  such  nonchalance. 
But  the  Roman's  name  would  not  have  lived  among  men,  except  for 
its  association  with  that  of  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  signifi- 
cant and  memorable  fact  about  any  person  is  his  relation  to  Jesus 
Christ. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  I33 

Study  XVII. — 9tfter  Ctoo  geard  of  i)tifi!penfie  ixi  JJmon  J)aul 
appealdto  tijc  (Emperor*    22:23—25:12 

Fifth  Day:     Paulas  Hearing  Before  the  Procurator 
Felix  {Concluded).    24:1-23 

Read  vv.  10-21,  noting  Paul's  answer  to  each  of  the  charges  pre- 
ferred by  the  lawyer  (vv.  5-6).    Why  specify  the  time  (v.  11)? 

Paul  knew  from  previous  experience  (e.  g.,  before  Gallio, 
18:  13,  15)  the  necessity  of  showing  that  the  "sect  of  the  Nazarenes" 
were  in  such  vital  accord  with  the  Jewish  religion  as  to  be  entitled 
to  the  protection  afforded  to  the  Jewish  religion  by  Roman  law. 
Christianity  was  not  an  unlicensed  religion.    Read  vv.  I4-IS- 

In  addition  to  Paul's  flat  denial  of  the  charges  made  against  him 
he  called  attention  to  two  fundamental  weaknesses  in  the  prosecu- 
tion. First,  the  prosecution  had  no  real  witnesses.  The  Asiatic 
Jews,  to  whom  allusion  had  doubtless  been  made,  were  suspiciously 
absent  (vv.  13,  19).  The  second  weakness  in  the  prosecution,  the 
statement  of  which  constituted  Paul's  climax,  was  the  fact  that  he 
had  appeared  before  the  supreme  court  of  his  nation  and  that  body 
had  preferred  no  charges  against  him !  The  president  of  that  court, 
the  high  priest  himself,  was  now  before  Felix  and  must  make  this 
damaging  admission!     Read  vv.  20-21. 

Paul  also  lays  great  stress  on  the  fact  that  the  vital  point  in  the 
Nazarene  preaching  is  the  resurrection  of  Jesus.  Perhaps  he  hoped 
by  making  this  clear  again  to  divide  his  accusers  as  he  had  previously 
divided  the  sanhedrin.  But  probably  the  Sadducean  high  priest  had 
taken  pains  to  see  that  no  Pharisees  were  members  of  the  present 
delegation.  Or  if  there  were  Pharisees  present,  their  hatred  of  Paul 
was  sufficiently  bitter  to  keep  them  quiet. 

Felix,  who  perhaps  through  his  Jewish  wife  or  through  some  of 
his  military  associates  in  Cassarea  (cf.  10:  i,  24,  44),  had  favorable 
information  about  the  Nazarenes,  sent  the  sanhedrin  leaders  and 
their  lawyer  away  disappointed.    Read  vv.  22-23. 

"I  also  exercise  myself  to  have  a  conscience  void  of  offense  toward 
God  and  men  alway"  (v.  16).  Paul  had  a  strong  sense  of  the  judg- 
ment day  and  of  accountability  to  God.  One  ought  frequently  to 
ask  himself, — Are  my  conduct  and  feeling  toward  every  man  such 
as  could  be  frankly  described  and  confidently  justified  before  mj^ 
Lord  in  His  judgment? 


134  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XVIL— lifter  Ctoo  peaw  of  ^ugpettce  in  JPrifion  J)aitl 
appeals  to  tl^e  ©mpccor.    22:23—25:12 

Sixth  Day:    The  Testimony  Before  Felix,  the  Pro- 
curator.   24 :  24-27 

■Read  vv.  24-27.  Both  the  procurator  and  Drusilla,  his  Jewish 
wife,  were  evidently  interested  in  the  Nazarene  movement.  Dru- 
silla's  father  was  the  Herod  who  beheaded  James,  imprisoned  Peter, 
and  soon  after  died  a  horrible  death  which  the  Nazarenes  regarded 
as  inflicted  by  God.  He  had  been  a  sort  of  Pharisee  himself  in  his 
later  life  (12:  1-3,  23).  As  was  suggested  yesterday,  the  Nazarene 
movement  in  Caesarea  may  have  entered  official  circles.  The  procu- 
rator and  his  wife  soon  invited  Paul  to  a  personal  interview.  Note, 
in  V.  24,  the  exact  subject  of  which  Paul  spoke  to  them.  The  truth 
that  he  presented  evidently  was  that  Jesus  Christ  will  judge  men 
(cf.  17:31),  and  that  to  prepare  for  His  judgment  one  must  accept 
Him  as  Lord,  and  live  a  life  of  righteousness  and  chaste  self-control. 
This  Felix  had  not  done.  Dark  memories  of  bloody  deeds  during 
his  slave-life  in  Rome  and  of  his  unchaste  passion  for  the  woman 
at  his  side  stirred  his  conscience  and  forced  him  to  an  awkward  and 
embarrassed  termination  of  the  interview.  Read  v.  25.  The  experi- 
ence of  Felix  on  this  occasion  was,  however,  a  mere  spasm  of  re- 
morse and  dread,  a  psychologically  ominous  prophecy  of  his  future 
rather  than  a  disposition  to  repent. 

Read  v.  26.  On  what  subjects  do  you  suppose  Paul  and  Felix, 
both  of  whom  in  different  ways  had  seen  so  much  of  the  world, 
used  to  talk?  Where  did  Felix  suppose  that  Paul  could  get  money 
for  the  bribe?    Analyze  the  character  of  Felix. 

These  were  days  of  critical  importance  in  the  career  of  the  procn- 
rator.  After  many  years  of  evil  living,  a  door  opened  before  him 
into  life  and  purity.  A  man  living  in  hourly  fellowship  with  the 
Son  of  God  was  providentially  brought  into  close  relationship  with 
him.  He  failed,  however,  to  act  decisively  upon  the  impressions  of 
which  he  was  conscious  in  his  best  moments,  and  so  failed  to  pass 
through  the  open  door. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  135 

flteuBY  XVTI.--2lfter  Ctoo  pears  of  S)tifi!penfi(e  in  l^rigon  JJatd 
appeals;  tn  t^e  (Emperon    22:23—25:12 

Seventh  Day:    Paul  Is  Forced  to  Appeal  to  C^sar. 

25:1-12 

Read  25 : 1-12.  Festus,  who  seems  to  have  been  a  better  man  than 
Felix,  went  up  immediately  from  the  city  of  his  official  residence 
to  the  Jewish  capital,  probably  to  inspect  the  forces  stationed  there 
and  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  situation  in  this  center  of  turbulence. 
The  Jewish  leaders,  still  hating  Paul  as  bitterly  as  ever,  hope  that 
Festus  will  be  so  desirous  of  their  good-will  at  the  beginning  of  his 
administration  as  to  grant  them  a  favor.  The  date  of  the  beginning 
of  Festus'  procuratorship  is  generally  thought  to  have  been  about 
the  year  60  or  61,  and  to  be  one  of  the  fixed  dates  in  the  chronology 
of  Paul's  life,  but  even  this  date  is  not  unquestioned,  and  the  earlier 
date,  55  or  56,  is  sometimes  advocated. 

Picture  in  imagination  the  scene  described  in  v.  7,  the  excited 
accusers  crowding  about  the  prisoner  before  the  judgment  seat  and 
vociferating  against  him. 

State  the  principal  items  charged,  as  suggested  by  Paul's  defense. 

What  does  Festus'  proposal  (v.  9)  indicate  as  to  his  opinion  re- 
garding Paul's  alleged  plotting  against  Caesar? 

What  did  Festus  suppose  would  be  the  probable  outcome  of  this 
trial  in  Jerusalem?  What  was  Paul's  opinion  as  to  its  probable 
outcome  ? 

Just  what  emergency  necessitated  the  appeal  to  Caesar? 

Every  Roman  citizen  seems  to  have  had  the  right,  except  In  cer- 
tain cases,  to  appeal  from  an  inferior  jurisdiction  to  that  of  the 
emperor  himself.  Festus  ascertained,  after  a  moment's  consultation 
with  his  council,  that  Paul's  case  was  not  an  exception  (v.  12). 

These  two  years  in  Caesarea  must  have  given  Luke  large  oppor- 
tunity to  consult  original  sources  for  the  composition  of  his  Gospel 
and  the  Book  of  Acts. 

Through  imprisonments,  false  accusations,  and  unjust  magistrates, 
God's  purpose  that  Paul  should  witness  in  Rome  was  steadily  being 
carried  out.  It  is  a  great  gain  when  we  learn  that  an  apparently 
disadvantageous  situation  can  be  made  to  contribute  directly  to  use- 
fulness. 


A.  D.  eo  (Zahn);  A.  D.  55-56  (Harnack), 


136  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XVIIL— 31  last  JFamottg  Ccstimonp  in  Caegarea  anK  a 
J)eriIottfi{  ^opase  ta  Eome.    25:13— 28: X 6 

First  Day  :    The  Famous  Testimony  Before  King  and 
Court.    25 :  13 — 26 :  32 

The  prolonged  «uspense  of  an  imprisonment  which  seemed  likely 
to  end  any  day,  and  yet  dragged  on  for  two  years,  must  have  been 
very  hard  for  a  man  of  Paul's  strenuous  temperament  to  bear.  Yet 
it  afforded  him  an  opportunity  for  a  series  of  testimonies  before 
high  officials  whom  he  might  not  otherwise  have  met.  The  most 
splendid  of  these  occasions  so  far  was  the  one  we  are  now  to  study, 
and  the  testimony,  already  given  twice,  is  now  repeated  with  appro- 
priate literary  elegance. 

To-day  read  25 :  13-23.  The  young  king,  Herod  Agrippa  II,  with 
his  sister  Bernice,  had  come  to  Csesarea  from  his  little  kingdom  in 
the  interior,  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  new  procurator,  Festus,  the 
successor  of  their  brother-in-law,  Felix.  The  relations  between 
Bernice  and  her  sister  Drusilla  had  been  somewhat  strained 
(JosEPHUs,  Antiquities  20:7:2),  and  Bernice  had  probably  felt  no 
very  great  sorrow  when  her  sister's  husband  had  been  recalled  to 
Rome.  Agrippa  had  lived  a  good  deal  in  Rome  and  was  probably 
glad  to  visit  with  someone  fresh  from  the  gossip  and  intrigue  of 
Roman  court  circles.  The  palace  where  Festus  entertained  them 
had  been  the  old  home  of  Agrippa  and  his  sister,  the  place  where 
their  father  had  met  his  horrible  death  (12:  19,  23). 

What  help  did  Festus  hope  to  receive  from  Agrippa? 

The  occasion  described  in  v.  23  was  a  full-dress  assembly  at 
which  the  military  officers  from  the  garrison,  the  principal  civil 
officers  from  the  city,  the  procurator,  the  young  king  and  his  sister, 
with  their  retinue,  were  present.  Before  this  assembly  Paul,  the 
imprisoned  rabbi,  was  brought  in  chained. 

"To-morrow,  saith  he,  thou  shalt  hear  him"  (v.  22).  Agrippa  was 
Unconsciously  drawing  near  the  supreme  moment  of  opportunity  in 
his  long  career.  That  eventful  morrow  dawned  as  had  many  days 
before,  and  as  did  many  days  afterward.  But  on  that  eventful  day 
he  was  to  hear  the  testimony  of  a  man  who  had  seen  Jesus  in  His 
glory,  and  was  to  he  made  the  object  of  a  direct  appeal.  May  no 
g;reat  opportunity  pass  us  unrecognized  and  unused! 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  137 

Study  XVIII —SI  last  jFamoufif  Cefitimonp  in  Csecarea  anU  a 
JJettlottfl;  Sopa^e  to  Eome.    25:13—28:16 

Second  Day  :    The  Famous  Testimony  Before  King  and 
Court  (Continued) .   25 :  13 — 26 :  32 

Read  25 :  23-27.  Luke  takes  special  pains  to  bring  out  the  fact 
that  the  Roman  official  recognized  in  this  great  Christian  leader 
nothing  contrary  to  Roman  law.  This  fact  would  be  serviceable  to 
the  Christians  in  any  time  of  persecution  by  the  Roman  govern- 
ment. Luke  may  have  realized  this,  even  though  there  may  have 
been  no  such  persecution  at  the  time  when  the  book  was  written. 

Paul,  who  had  so  little  opportunity  to  preach  to  anyone  in  these 
days,  and  who  never  before  had  such  an  audience  to  address,  re- 
joiced in  his  opportunity.  He  was  particularly  glad  to  speak  be- 
fore the  young  king,  who,  like  himself,  was  both  a  Jew  and  a 
Roman  citizen,  and  able  to  understand  the  religious  aspects  of  the 
case  while  viewing  them  from  the  cosmopolitan  Roman  standpoint. 
Read  26 ;  1-3. 

What  is  the  main  point  in  vv.  4-1 1? 

What  three  circumstances  in  vv.  4-5  show  how  close  to  the  heart 
of  Judaism  Paul's  pre-Christian  life  had  been  lived?  That  which 
God  had  promised  (v.  6)  was  the  Messiah  and  His  Kingdom.  No- 
tice the  eloquent  irony  in  vv.  6-7.  The  "vote"  (v.  10)  may  not  have 
been  cast  as  a  member  of  the  sanhedrin. 

Read  vv.  12-15.  There  is  indication  in  v.  14  that  Paul  had  been 
experiencing  an  inner  struggle.  It  is  not  probable  that  he  was  re- 
sisting the  conviction  that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah  (v.  9).  It  was 
rather  an  unrest,  due  to  his  discovery  that  he  was  not  keeping  the 
law.  Rom.  7 : 7-8  is  probably  a  bit  of  spiritual  autobiography  refer- 
ring to  the  period. 

"Thou  art  permitted  to  speak  for  thyself"  (26:1).  In  a  sense 
more  profound  than  the  young  king  realized,  every  man  has  a  mes- 
sage born  of  his  own  experience.  No  one  but  himself  can  ever  utter 
it.  It  is  his  message  springing  out  of  his  experience.  It  will  come 
from  him  with  a  divine  force  which  the  report  of  no  mere  observer 
can  have. 


138  'NEW  STUDIES  IN  "ACTS 

Study  XVIII— 3t  last  jFamotifi  Cesttmonp  in  Caesarea  anU  a 
JJerilnufi  ©opaffe  ta  Eome.    25:13—28:16 

Third  Day  :    The  Famous  Testimony  Before  King  and 
Court  {Concluded) .    25 :  13 — 26 :  32 

It  was  not  with  the  bare  hope  of  "saving  his  soul,"  but  with  the 
vision  of  a  career,  that  Jesus  appealed  to  Paul.  In  what  was  the 
career  to  consist,  according  to  vv.  16-18? 

Read  vv.  19-23,  which  describe  Paul's  experience  in  this  career 
up  to  the  moment  of  speaking.  What  are  the  most  important 
thoughts  in  v.  22?    Who  are  the  "great"? 

The  statement  in  v.  22,  was  too  much  for  the  procurator,  and  he 
broke  out  in  protest.  The  idea  of  a  resurrection  was  queer  enough, 
but  that  Paul  should  speak  of  this  crucified  Jew  as  a  living  source 
of  light  to  Romans  was  too  gross  an  absurdity  to  pass  unnoticed. 
The  only  charitable  supposition  was  that  the  rabbi's  close  applica- 
tion to  his  sacred  books  (v.  22)  had  produced  mental  derangement 
(v.  24)  !  Paul  took  advantage  of  the  interruption  to  close  in  per- 
sonally upon  his  audience.  The  young  king's  father  had  been,  os- 
tensibly at  least,  a  Pharisee.  The  young  man  himself  must  be  ac- 
quainted with  the  Hebrew  prophets  and  had  been  about  Jerusalem 
enough  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  Nazarene  movement  and  the 
Nazarene  exegesis  of  the  prophets.  Paul,  therefore,  appealed  di- 
rectly to  him  to  tell  whether  he  had  not  made  his  case.  But  the 
king  had  no  mind,  after  the  procurator's  outbreak,  to  enter  into  the 
discussion,  and  put  Paul  off  with  the  sportive  remark,  that  he 
seemed  to  think  that  he  could  even. make  a  Nazarene  of  him  with 
a  little  persuasion !     Read  vv.  25-29. 

It  is  impossible  to  tell  how  profoundly  moved  some  of  the  elegant 
company  may  have  been  as  they  passed  out  of  the  audience-room. 
Perhaps  some  of  the  military  men  present  were  already  Nazarenes 
(chap.  10)  and  had  listened  to  the  testimony  with  prayerful  hearts. 

Note  the  point  Luke  emphasizes  in  vv.  31-32. 

"A  witness  both  of  things  wherein  thou  hast  seen  me  and  of  the 
things  wherein  I  will  appear  unto  thee"  (v.  16).  It  is  not  merely 
a  past  experience,  but  also  a  present  deepening  experience  with  Jesus 
Christ,  that  is  to  constitute  the  basis  of  our  message. 


NEl^  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  139 

Study  XVIII.— St  lagt  iPamotts  QTefitimanp  in  C^earea  anU  a 
JJerilotifi  ^opa^e  to  Eome.    25:13 — 28:16 

Fourth  Day:    The  Voyage  Begins.    27: 1-13 

Read  27: 1-13,  using  a  map. 

Note  the  evidence  in  v.  i  that  Luke  accompanies  Paul.  Some  of 
the  ''other  prisoners"  (v.  i)  may  have  been  those  condemned  to 
death  in  the  Roman  arena.  Aristarchus  had  come  up  to  Jerusalem 
with  Paul  (20:  4). 

How  do  you  account  for  the  kindness  of  the  centurion  (v.  3)  here 
and  later  (v.  43)  ?  This  Alexandrian  vessel  (v.  6)  was  an  Egyptian 
grain  ship  (v.  38). 

Read  the  account  of  the  council  (vv.  9-12),  using  the  map.  The 
adverse  winds  (v.  7)  had  so  delayed  them  that  it  was  past  the 
season  of  safe  navigation.  The  "fast,"  or  Jewish  day  of  atonement, 
occurred  about  the  time  of  the  autumnal  equinox.  Who  presided 
over  the  council?  Is  there  evidence  that  more  than  four  persons 
consulted  ?  Note  that  Paul  appears  here  in  consultation  as  a  gen- 
tleman of  distinction  whose  opinion  as  an  extensive  traveler  (cf. 
2  Cor.  11:25-26)  is  sought.  The  "owner"  may  have  been  merely 
the  sailing  master,  if  this  were  one  of  the  government  fleet  of  grain 
ships.  In  that  case,  the  other  person  mentioned  might  have  been 
the  pilot. 

It  becomes  more  and  more  evident  that  the  plan  of  God  is  closely 
interlaced  with  all  the  plans  of  men.  The  plans  of  grain  merchants, 
procurators,  centurions,  and  sailors,  all  enter  into  the  comprehensive 
plan  of  God.  God  is  in  His  world,  and  the  lives  of  men  constitute 
the  pre-eminent  feature  of  the  "world." 


A.  D.  60  (Zahn);  A.  D.  56-57  (55-56)  (Harnack). 


140  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XVIIL— SI  taet  f  amouu  Etstmon^  in  Csegarea  anti  a 
Pecilottfi  Sopa^e  to  Kome*    25:13—28:16 

Fifth  Day  :    The  Terrible  Storm.    27 :  14-44 

Read  the  account  of  the  beginning  of  the  storm  (vv.  13-17).  The 
Euraquilo  was  a  northeast  wind.  The  gale  was  so  violent  that  they 
could  simply  run  before  the  wind  (v.  15),  to  the  partial  protection 
of  the  little  island  (see  map),  where  they  were  able  to  take  on 
board  a  small  skiff  they  had  in  tow  (v.  16),  and  slip  cables  around 
the  hull  of  the  vessel  to  strengthen  it  against  the  strain  of  the 
storm  (v.  17a).  Then  fearing  that  they  would  be  drifted  into  the 
African  shoals  (see  map,  and  note  the  direction  of  the  wind),  they 
reduced  sail  and  headed  the  ship  in  a  direction  that  resulted  in 
their  reaching  Malta,  476  miles  away,  fourteen  days  later. 

Read  carefully  vv.  18-37,  letting  your  imagination  produce  for 
you  the  scenes  described. 

The  cargo  that  was  thrown  out  (v.  18)  did  not  include  the  grain 
in  the  hold  (v.  38).  In  v.  19  some  manuscripts  read  "we,"  instead 
of  "they,"  in  which  case  Luke  himself  probably  helped  to  throw 
overboard  some  of  the  heavier  and  less  essential  parts  of  the  ship's 
equipment. 

Is  there  any  hint  in  vv.  21-26  that  Paul  had  prayed  in  this  perilous 
time,  and  for  whom  he  had  prayed? 

"Driven  on  through  the  sea,"  rather  than  "to  and  fro  in  the 
sea"  (v.  27).  The  Adria  is  not  the  modern  Adriatic,  but  the  central 
Mediterranean. 

What  characteristics  of  Paul  are  revealed  by  his  conduct  on  this 
perilous  voyage?  Some  of  them  contributed  largely  to  the  success 
of  his  life-work. 

"God,  whose  I  am"  (v.  23).  In  the  roar  of  the  storm  and  the  an- 
gry presence  of  death  Paul's  triumphant  confidence  was  the  simple 
fact  that  he  belonged  to  God.  When  you  find  yourself  threatened 
by  any  dreaded  situation,  stop  and  regain  poise  by  remembering 
whose  you  are,  and  that  no  real  harm  can  come  to  one  who  belongs 
to  God, 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  'ACTS  141 

Study  XVIIL— 21  lact  Jamattg  Cwtimonp  in  Csegarea  anti  a 
|]mIottfi(  Sopaffe  ta  Home.    25:13—28:16 

Sixth  Day:  The  Terrible  Storm  (Concluded).  27:14-44 

Read  vv.  39-44,  noting  each  phrase  carefully. 

This  part  of  the  island  (v.  39)  was  not  near  the  principal  harbor 
with  which  sailors  might  have  been  expected  to  be  familiar.  The 
rudders  had  been  lifted  out  of  the  water  to  protect  them  from  the 
beating  of  the  waves,  and  are  now  let  down  into  the  water,  so 
that  the  ship  may  be  steered  straight  to  the  beach  (v.  40).  This 
place  (v.  41)  is  thought  to  have  been  a  channel  between  a  little 
island  and  the  main  island,  connecting  "two  seas."  A  soldier  for- 
feited his  own  life  if  his  prisoner  escaped  (v.  42;  cf.  16:27). 

Read  28:1-10  with  careful  attention  to  each  phrase.  Picture  to 
yourself  the  276  from  the  ship,  the  natives  of  the  island,  the  cold 
driving  rain,  the  smoking  fire,  the  sea  and  the  wreck. 

This  island  was  apparently  the  one  now  called  Malta.  The  in- 
habitants are  called  "barbarians"  (v.  2)  by  the  Greek  author,  not 
in  contempt,  but  because  it  was  the  common  designation  of  people 
that  did  not  speak  Greek.  They  were  Phoenician-speaking  Cartha- 
ginians. 

Who  were  probably  included  in  the  "us"  to  whom  entertainment 
was  given  by  the  magistrate  (v.  7)  ?  Does  the  word  "us"  (v.  10) 
indicate  that  Luke  had  given  medical  service  to  the  people? 

Paul  was  a  useful  man  in  every  situation.  If  there  be  but  one 
willing  man  of  God  in  a  situation,  since  God  Himself  is  there,  what- 
ever can  be  done  by  God  through  a  willing  man  will  be  done. 


143  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ^ACTS 

Study  XVIIL— St  last  Jamott*  Cesittmonp  in  Cseeatta  ana  a 
J)ml0ug  ^opajie  to  Eome.    25:13 — 28:16 

Seventh  Day:    The  Arrival  in  Rome.    28: 11-16 

Read  28:  11-16,  using  the  map. 

This  vessel  (v.  ii)  had  probably  reached  the  island  before  the 
storm.  Its  figure-head  was  Castor  and  Pollux.  The  fact  that  there 
were  Christians  in  Puteoli  (v.  14)  shows  how  a  church  could  form 
itself  in  a  great  business  center  like  Rome,  as  it  were  by  chance. 
Perhaps  the  centurion  had  reason  for  delaying  in  Puteoli,  or  else 
he  showed  special  favor  to  Paul  (v.  14).  Word  was  sent  from 
Puteoli  to  Rome,  and  two  delegations  of  Roman  Christians  came 
out  some  thirty  and  forty  miles  on  the  Appian  Road  to  meet  Paul 
(v.  15).  Why  did  he  thank  God?  And  why  had  he  been  discour- 
aged or  apprehensive  (v.  15)  ?  Perhaps  he  thanked  God  in  some 
audible  ejaculation  that  Luke  noticed,  or  in  specially  fervent  prayer 
with  the  newly  arrived  brethren. 

Glance  over  Rom.  16  for  the  names  of  some  who  may  have  met 
him.     Imagine  the  meeting! 

In  what  ways  were  the  hardships  of  this  voyage  advantageous  to 
the  general  work  of  Paul?  Particularly  consider  the  influence  of 
Paul,  during  the  voyage  and  the  winter  in  the  island,  upon  the  cen- 
turion and  upon  all  the  ship's  company;  the  report  of  Paul  carried 
by  the  centurion  to  his  fellow-officers  in  Rome,  and  by  the  soldiers 
to  their  fellow-soldiers  in  the  Roman  barracks. 

**Whom  when  Paul  saw,  he  thanked  God,  and  took  courage"  (v.  15). 
Do  you  adequately  appreciate  your  fellow  Christians?  And  are  you 
such  a  Christian  friend  as  to  make  your  fellow  Christians  take  cour- 
age at  sight  of  you? 


A.  D.  CI  (Zalin);  A.  D.  f7  (&«)  (HaniMk). 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  143 

Stuby  XIX.—QLU  Cectimonp  jFinaltp  (Kfitablwlicli  in  tje 
Capital  of  tl)e  (Gentile  Wovin.    28:16-31 

First  Day  :    Paul,  as  Usual,  Meets  the  Leaders  of  the 
Ghetto.    28 :  16-22 

Read  vv.  16-22.  Perhaps  through  the  influence  of  his  friend,  the 
centurion  Julius,  Paul  had  considerable  liberty  (v.  16).  Paul  evi- 
dently had  money  at  his  disposal  with  which  to  meet  the  expense  of 
such  an  arrangement  and  later  to  pay  the  rent  of  "his  own  hired 
dwelling"  for  two  years  (v.  30).  This  may  have  come  to  him 
through  reconciliation  with  his  family  or  through  the  generosity  of 
the  churches. 

Paul  as  usual  turned  first  to  his  own  countrymen.  Note  the  points 
that  he  was  concerned  to  make  clear  in  his  first  interview  with  them. 
They  had  heard  of  the  Nazarene  sect,  but  knew  nothing  about  it  in 
detail.  They  were  prejudiced  against  it,  but  were  willing  to  hear 
what  a  distinguished  Jerusalem  rabbi,  evidently  enjoying  the  favof 
of  the  Roman  authorities,  might  have  to  say  about  it.  Why  had 
the  high  priest  not  sent  word  to  them  from  Jerusalem  about  Paul's 
appeal  to  Caesar?  They  seem  to  have  had  no  connection  with  the 
Christians  in  Rome  probably  because,  according  to  Paul's  Letter  to 
the  Romans,  most  of  the  Christians  were  Gentiles.  Furthermore, 
these  Christians  were  scattered  over  the  city,  meeting  in  groups  in 
private  houses.     (Rom.  16 :  5,  14.) 

"Because  of  the  hope  ...  I  am  bound''  (v.  20).  It  is  a  strange 
fact  that  the  men  who  have  hoped  great  things  for  humanity  have 
often  suffered  because  of  their  hope.  They  have  often  been  unpopu- 
lar, and  have  sometimes  lost  their  lives  as  martyrs.  The  Liberator 
of  Humanity,  with  His  great  hope  of  the  Kingdom,  died  on  a  cross. 
Why  is  it? 


144  NEW  STUDIES  IN' 'ACTS 

Study  XIX.— C[)e  GTegtimonp  jFmallp  (l^gtailifi^eti  in  i)^t 
Capital  of  i^t  (3txd\\z  Wtwl^i.    28: 16*31 

Second  Day:    Paul  Turns  to  the  Gentiles.    28:  23-31 

With  his  usual  literary  skill,  at  the  end  of  his  volume  Luke  dra- 
matically represents  Paul  turning  from  Jew  to  Gentile.  Read  vv. 
23-28.  Paul's  last  word  to  them  is  a  word  of  doom,  impressively 
spoken  in  the  ominous  language  of  one  of  their  own  great  prophets 
(vv.  25-27).  But  the  Gentile  world  is  receptive  (v.  28)  !  The  last 
utterance  ascribed  to  Paul  by  the  author  is  a  declaration  that  the 
gospel  has  passed  from  Jew  to  Gentile.  The  testimony  began  in 
Jerusalem,  the  capital  of  the  Jewish  world,  as  a  Jewish  possession. 
It  has  passed  to  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  Gentile  world,  and  has 
become  a  Gentile  possession. 

What  expression  in  v.  2Z  carries  you  back  to  Luke's  general 
conception  in  1:8? 

The  testimony  is  thoroughly  established  in  Rome  through  two 
years  of  residence.  Read  vv.  30-31.  The  readiness  of  the  Gentiles 
to  hear  (v.  28)  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  they  allowed  Paul  to 
preach  boldly  and  without  fear  of  interference  (v.  31).  This  was 
in  striking  contrast  to  the  treatment  usually  accorded  him  by  Jews. 

While  the  author  has  brought  to  completion  his  account  of  one 
great  epoch,  his  narrative  ends  leaving  certain  great  questions  cry- 
ing out  for  answer.  What  was  the  outcome  of  Paul's  appeal  to 
Caesar?  What  was  the  effect  of  his  two  years  of  preaching  in  the 
city,  and  what  were  some  of  its  many  interesting  incidents?  Per- 
haps the  author  planned  to  answer  these  questions  in  a  third  volume. 
His  first  volume  ends  in  a  similar  way,  bringing  one  narrative  to 
completion  and  preparing  the  way  for  another.    Cf.  Luke  24 :  44-53. 

"Preaching  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  teaching  the  things  concern- 
ing the  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  (v.  31).  We  are  appointed  to  keep  before 
men  by  conduct  and  word  the  ethical  ideals  involved  in  the  phrase, 
"Kingdom  of  God,"  and  personal  connection  with  Jesus  Christ  the 
Lord  as  the  means  of  increasingly  realizing  these  ideals. 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  145 

Study  XIX.—QL^t  Cegtimonp  f  inallp  ©atablwSeK  in  tje 
Capital  of  tl)e  Gentile  WoxVti*    28:10-31 

Third  Day  :    The  Letters  of  the  Roman  Imprisonment. 

28:30-31 

We  are  not  left  entirely  without  further  suggestions  regarding 
Paul's  life  during  the  two  years  in  Rome.  Four  letters  seem  to 
have  been  written  within  this  period,  namely,  those  to  Philemon,  to 
the  Colossians,  Ephesians,  and  Philippians.  It  is  possible  that  the 
first  three  of  these  were  written  during  Paul's  two  years  of  confine- 
ment in  Caesarea  (24:27),  but  they  are  generally  assigned  to  the 
Roman  imprisonment.  Their  contribution  to  Paul's  biography  dur- 
ing this  period  may  be  quickly  gleaned. 

To-day  read  rapidly  the  short  letter  to  Philemon.  Make  up  your 
mind  what  it  is  about  and  what  contribution  it  makes  to  your  knowl- 
edge of  Paul  during  these  two  years.  He  is  evidently  looking  for- 
ward to  release  (v.  22). 

"A  prisoner  of  Christ  Jesus"  (v.  i).  Jesus  Christ  can  accomplish 
a  great  deal  through  a  life  lived  under  serious  limitations,  if  only 
that  life  be  given  without  reserve  to  Him.  Paul's  prison  experience 
gave  birth  to  some  of  the  letters  that  have  most  strongly  influenced 
the  life  and  thought  of  the  world.  Beautiful  thoughts  about  Jesus 
Christ,  His  power  and  His  glory,  shaped  themselves  with  new  clear- 
ness during  these  prison  years,  and  are  increasingly  enriching  the 
life  of  a  world  then  undiscovered. 


A.  D.  61-63  (Zahn);  A.  D.  57-59  (56-58)  (Harnack), 


146  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XIX.—  Cbe  Cegttmonp  jFtnallp  d^gtablifijieti  in  t&e 
Capital  of  t^t  (3tntilt  WoxiQ.    28:  X6=3l 

Fourth  Day:    The  Letters  of  the  Roman  Imprison- 
ment (C(?w/zww^c?).    28:30-31 

Note  more  closely  certain  biographical  points  in  the  Letter  to 
Philemon.  Philemon  was  a  gentleman  residing  in  Colosse,  a  city 
of  the  province  of  Asia,  as  is  evident  from  vv.  2,  ii  compared  with 
Col.  4 : 9,  17.  He  had  been  converted  by  Paul  (v.  19)  perhaps  when 
visiting  Ephesus,  for  Paul  seems  never  to  have  visited  Colosse  (Col. 
2:1).  He  was  a  well-to-do  man,  for  he  had  a  church  in  his  house 
(v.  2).  It  may  be  his  wife  and  son  who  are  mentioned  in  v.  2.  If 
this  be  so,  his  son  was  engaged  in  some  sort  of  church  work  (Col. 
4:17). 

Philemon's  slave,  Onesimus,  had  run  away,  or  when  sent  away 
on  business  had  kept  and  squandered  his  master's  money  and  failed 
to  return  home  (vv.  11,  15,  18,  19).  He  had  been  converted  in  Rome 
by  Paul  and  his  associates  (v.  10),  and  had  proven  himself  useful 
in  the  city  mission  work  they  were  carrying  on  (vv.  11,  13).  But 
although  Paul  could  have  used  him  he  sent  him  back  to  his  master 
with  this  note,  in  company  with  (under  the  charge  of?)  Tychicus 
(Col.  4:  7-9).  Vv.  11-19  and  Col.  4:  7-9  are  worded  with  such  ten- 
derness and  tact  as  to  secure  for  the  runaway  a  cordial  reception 
by  both  master  and  church.  He  is  Paul's  "very  heart"  (v.  12), 
trusted  by  him  (vv.  11,  13),  to  be  received  as  Paul  himself  would 
be  (v.  17).  Philemon  will  find  him  truly  helpful  in  the  future 
("Onesimus"  means  helpful)  (vv.  11,  15)  !  God's  providence  has 
been  in  the  incident  (vv.  15-16).  The  actual  money  loss  Paul  will 
make  good,  if  Philemon  sees  fit  to  require  it  (vv.  18-19)  ! 

A  most  interesting  group  are  with  Paul  (v.  24;  of.  Acts  20:4-5). 

"I  thank  my  God  always"  (v.  4).  Paul's  first  thought  in  every 
situation  was  of  its  advantageous  features.  He  had  cultivated  the 
appreciative  habit. 

A.  D.  61-63  (Zahn);  A.  D.  57-59  (56-58)  (Harnack), 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  147 

Stuby  XIX.— Cl^e  Cefiittmonp  JFinallp  €6Mli&^tti  in  t^t 
Capital  of  t^e  (Gentile  Waxin.    28:1 6^31 

Fifth  Day  :    The  Letters  of  the  Roman  Imprisonment 
(Continued) .    28 :  30-31 

With  Paul's  brief  letter  to  Philemon  of  Colosse  he  sent  also  a 
longer  one  to  all  the  Christians  in  Colosse  (Col.  4:7-9).  The 
church  in  Colosse  was  probably  founded  not  by  Paul  (2:  i),  but  by 
a  man  named  Epaphras  (1:6-7).  This  man  Epaphras  now  visits 
Paul  in  Rome,  as  a  representative  not  only  of  the  church  in  Colosse, 
but  also  of  the  neighboring  churches  in  Hierapolis  and  Laodicea 
(Col.  4:  12-13). 

At  the  time  of  writing,  Paul  had  in  his  company  a  number  of 
Christian  Jews  whose  names  are  given  in  Col.  4:  lo-ii,  and  who 
were  helping  him  in  the  missionary  work  of  which  his  "hired  house" 
was  the  center.  In  Col.  4:  12-14  appear  the  names  also  of  certain 
Gentile  helpers.  Chief  among  all  his  helpers  was  the  young  man 
whose  name  stands  with  that  of  Paul  at  the  beginning  of  the  letter 
(Col.  1:1). 

A  medley  of  strange  views,  partly  Jewish  in  their  origin  and  com- 
bined also  probably  with  local  superstitions,  were  being  introduced 
into  the  church.  The  advocates  of  these  views  had  much  to  say  of 
certain  lordly  angelic  beings  called  "thrones,"  "dominions,"  "prin- 
cipalities," "powers"  (i:  16),  among  whom  they  were  probably  will- 
ing to  assign  Jesus  Christ  a  place.  Those  who  wished  special  en- 
lightenment, superior  to  that  available  for  those  who  simply  had 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  were  being  told  that  they  must  seek  it  through 
intercourse  with  these  angelic  beings  in  visions  (2:18-19).  Paul 
asserts  in  his  letter  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  perfect  image  of  God,  is 
superior  to  these  lordly  angels.  Indeed,  Jesus  Christ  gave  them  their 
being  (1:15-17).  The  humblest  believer  has  immediate  access  to 
Jesus  Himself,  and  finds  in  intercourse  with  Jesus  the  highest  ex- 
periences that  any  man  is  capable  of  having  (1:27-28;  2:6-13; 
3:1-4). 

"Set  your  mind  on  the  things  that  are  above"  (3:2).  "What  gets 
your  attention  gets  you." 


A.  D.  61-63  (Zahn);  A.  D.  57-59  (56-58)  (Harnack). 


148  NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS 

Study  XIX.— C|)e  Cectimonp  JFinallp  CfitatUfilbeli  in  tje 
Capital  of  tjie  (3tntiU  WavVti,    28:16=31 

Sixth  Day  :   The  Letters  of  the  Roman  Imprisonment 
(Continued) 

Very  much  like  the  Letter  to  the  Christians  in  Colosse  is  that  to 
the  Christians  in  Ephesus.  Some  of  the  oldest  manuscripts  omit  the 
words  translated  "at  Ephesus"  (i:i),  which  fact  has  given  rise 
to  the  theory  that  the  letter  was  originally  a  circular-letter  intended 
for  several  of  the  churches  in  the  province  of  Asia,  and  that  possibly 
it  is  the  one  referred  to  in  Col.  4 :  i6  as  being  in  possession  of  the 
church  in  Laodicea.  The  letter  ultimately  received  the  name  of  the 
most  prominent  church  in  the  circle  to  which  it  was  sent.  Paul  was 
still  a  prisoner  when  he  wrote  it  (3:  i ;  4:  i ;  6:  20).  The  fact  that 
Tychicus  who  carried  the  Letter  to  the  Colossians  (Col.  4:7)  also 
carried  this  one  (Eph.  6:21)  makes  it  seem  probable  that  all  three 
letters — Philemon,  Colossians,  Ephesians — were  sent  at  the  same 
time. 

It  assumes  the  supreme  exaltation  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  does  Colos- 
sians (Eph.  1:20-23),  and  the  direct  connection  of  every  believer 
with  the  person  of  his  Lord  (3:  17),  but  lays  peculiar  emphasis  on 
the  close  relation  which  exists  between  all  believers  by  virtue  of  their 
common  relation  to  the  exalted  Christ.     (2: 11-16;  4: 1-6.) 

"Speaking  truth  in  love"  (4:15).  Honesty  and  sympathy  are  the 
foundation  virtues  in  Paul's  conception  of  character.  To  deal  sim- 
cerely  and  kindly  with  every  man  is  the  triumph  of  character,  caughl: 
by  the  contagion  of  daily  association  with  Jesus  Christ. 


A.  D.  61-63  (Zahn);  A.  D.  57-59  (56-58)  (Harnack). 


NEW  STUDIES  IN  ACTS  149 

Study  XIX.— €^t  Cefitimonp  jFinallp  (S^dtMi&^tti  in  tje 
Capital  of  tl)e  (Btntilt  WoxVn*    28 : 1 6-^31 

Seventh  Day:    The  Letters  of  the  Roman  Imprison- 
ment (Concluded) 

Paul's  letter  to  the  Christians  in  Philippi  is  rich  in  biographical 
allusions.     Only  the  most  salient  of  them  can  be  noted. 

It  was  written  near  a  crisis  in  his  imprisonment  (2:23)  when  he 
was  expecting  either  execution  or  release  (1:20-21;  2:  17).  On  the 
whole  he  is  expecting  release  (1:24-25;  2:24).  He  has  now  only 
one  really  trusty  helper  with  him.  Of  the  rest  he  speaks  quite 
critically    (2:  19-22). 

Paul  is  in  communication  with  Christians  in  Rome,  among  whom 
are  now  found  some  of  the  Emperor's  household  (4:22). 

Unfortunately  there  are  in  the  city  certain  Jewish  Christians  who 
are  not  in  sympathy  with  Paul  and  would  gladly  make  Paul's  situa- 
tion harder  to  bear  (1:15-17).  Paul  has  gained  great  influence 
over  the  court  (i  :  12-13),  and,  perhaps  through  the  constantly  chang- 
ing guard  stationed  in  his  house,  among  the  soldiers  also. 

The  letter  acknowledges  a  gift  of  money  sent  by  the  Christians 
in  Philippi  (4:  10,  18),  perhaps  especially  needed  for  house  rent 
(Acts  28:30),  or  for  expenses  connected  with  the  crisis  in  his  trial 
(2:23).  A  man  from  Philippi  who  brought  the  gift  probably  car- 
ries back  the  letter.  This  messenger  has  been  sick  and  homesick, 
and  Paul  seems  to  feel  that  the  church  may  criticise  the  man  for 
failing  to  remain  in  Rome  to  help  him  (2:  25-30). 

"The  things  which  happened  unto  me  have  fallen  out  rather  untq 
the  progress  of  the  gospel"  (1:12).  Paul  had  thotoughly  committed 
himself,  all  that  he  owned  and  all  whom  he  could  influence,  to  the 
publication  of  the  gospel  throughout  the  empire.  It  was  not  strange 
that  every  circumstance  in  his  changeful  career  was  made  to  serve 
his  master  passion.  In  the  twentieth  century  the  Lord  still  calls 
for  men  whose  master  passion  it  shall  be  to  introduce  into  every 
department  of  life  the  ethical  ideals  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  who  will 
bring  to  all  men  the  glad  word  of  the  gospel,  that  this  master  pas- 
sion can  be  kept  strong  and  efficient  by  association  with  tli«  per- 
sonality of  the  living  Lord,  Jesus  Christ. 

A.  D.  61-63  (Zahn);  A.  D.  57-59  (56-58)  (Harnack). 


Date  Due 

9  %5V9    4' 

1: 

N  14  -45 

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